Flower Head

If I were as cool as her*, I would totally bust out a flower head for my July birthday. 

(*and by cool, I mean super-model gorgeous with a stylist to assist, obviously)

{image via}

If you could rewrite your college essay, what would it say?

So few of us end up studying what we came into college dreaming of, or working in the industry in which we studied. If you had a chance to look back at the story you shared or the dream you revealed, do you think you could tell which direction you'd head? I wonder how many people would cringe at the words they put together when we were just 16. 

My college essay wasn’t profound, or enlightening – I had had (and still have) a relatively unscathed childhood. My parents are still happily married, I grew up in a small but privileged town and most of the time my desires were met.

I was a pretty determined teen, so naturally I stuck with the path I set out for myself at 16. I vaguely recall the opening sentence in my letter to recruiters being: “I want to be a writer.” At the time, I thought it was bold and forthcoming – a statement I thought would get the attention of the universities I wanted to attend.  What I probably meant to say was: “I don’t really know what I want to do, but I know that I’ve always had success in writing.” Today, it might be something like: “Move over, Anna Wintour.”

I’ve been thinking more and more about my college essay lately as it inevitably brought me to my university, my first job, my friends and my boyfriend. If you think about it, those 500 words were the ultimate compass – and at this stage in my life I can’t help but think “what if?”

As it so happens, I’m one of the unusual ones that has been tried-and-true in my move from college essay to college and career. It’s odd to think that today I’m still composing pieces, and still messing with the syntax and structure of paragraphs to find the perfect annotations. My life has introduced me to countless individuals who have inspired me, confused me, energized me and even belittled me – all introduced by the path I chose, and the essay I wrote. 

  

But if these college essays really determined where you went, how far you’d go and how you’d survive, what would you change? Would you have shared a family story rather than a dream? Would you have taken more than a Saturday afternoon to pen the piece that could determine your history?

Would you have chosen a different path?

{image via pinterest}

Instagram vs. Others

 For anyone who follows me on Instagram, you must know I'm a little obsessed (I'm still a new iPhone user!). I recently started looking into a few more San Francisco start-ups while in search of a real-time passion, and ended up downloading Path. It has a pretty seamless interface similar to Facebook where inner-circle companions can share pictures, locations and more right from the iPhone. 


One of the most appealing aspects of Path is it's visually inspiring board - something that has kept me returning, particularly due in part to its Instagram-like photo sharing tool. Users can upload images from their phone and add a hue or tint similar to the now-Facebook owned Instagram. The only downside to this unique bit is that some tools cost money ($0.99), a bummer but to be expected when Camera+ and others out there are succeeding in a similar price bracket. 

While Path might be appealing in this sense, I'm having trouble understanding why go to Path alone for the photo tool. There are several more options within Instagram alone, and considering Path is still a relatively new tool, very few of my 'close' friends are onboard already. Isn't the whole point of this social media thing to connect with others you might not otherwise have the chance of meeting with? 


What say you?