Blog Spring 2015

I will say that I’m a generally happy person. I adore puppies, love my mommy and daddy, enjoy long walks on the beach, believe that you should always look at thing positively, and like to smile and laugh–the generic traits of a content person.

One belief of mine is that the type of music that a person listens to defines them in some way. Every time you make a playlist on Spotify or 8tracks, it’s like you’re creating a soundtrack to some part of who you are. I will say that I have some very ambient, reminiscent piano pieces on a playlist that I have created, and that’s the side of me that likes to relax and remember old times. I have a very large EDM playlist as well, and that’s the side of me that likes to smile and jump up and down. If you’ve read my coffee post, I use coffee as a place-marker to remember specific places that I’ve visited in my life, but in this case, I use songs as memory-holders to remember specific moments in my life. From songs I briefly danced to when I was little, to songs that I cried to when I was older, I pretty much have a song for all the big moments in my life.

I’ve grown up surrounded by music. I was that Asian child that learned piano at the same time I learned how to walk, and later, I of course picked up violin at school. I was never a very big classical music fan, so I ended up quitting private lessons and teaching myself more new-age songs on the piano. I found my niche that made me feel something in the music. I dropped violin in high school as well after years of hell in orchestra, and I found a love for singing. I joined the praise team at my church and also joined chorus as a joke my senior year last semester. I think it’s around my senior year that I truly discovered how much music mattered to me, so most of my significant songs are from that year.

My life is full of some great memories, and I want to show you some of the top songs on the soundtrack to my life (listen while reading!):

Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard – I was probably in elementary school while my sister was in middle school. She was the cool sibling that knew all the hip new songs, so of course she was my main provider of Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Some reason, the most memorable song she showed me was this one. It made me feel old and kind of like a bad-ass. I remember blasting it on our old boom box in the living room with the CD she burned full of boy band songs. We jumped on the tables and the couches, dancing around the living room and going crazy while my grandma shouted at us to get off the furniture.

Paradise by Tiesto & Dyro – It was my first spring break trip where my friends could drive, so we jumped in a car and headed to my friend’s beach house in Destin. We were seniors in high school, lied to our parents that it was only girls (or boys in the other case) going on the trip, and made our way down to the beach. We made a long playlist of songs for the ride, but as always, only one song stuck in my head. There was this moment where we were crossing the bridge that lead to Destin, and this song came on. The windows were down, and we blasted the song while I stuck my head out the rooftop window. It was perfect with the spring break hype song, and when the beat dropped, all of us (including the driver) had our head out windows fist pumping and screaming. What can I say? We were young and alive in the moment!

Home by Phillip Phillips – After joining chorus my last semester in high school as a joke, I ended up falling in love with it. As graduation time came closer, all the seniors were asked to join the senior-class chorus that would sing at the opening of our graduation ceremony. We practiced long afternoons after school; afternoons full of stress and frustration in trying to learn the song. When it came down to the actual performance, we somehow brought it all together. Facing my senior class, I sang every single bittersweet second of the song, singing about how I’ll never be alone while I have my home. It was official. I was leaving high school to go off the college and starting a new era in my life. As we finished the last note, it hung in the air, and I teared up knowing that I was leaving some of the best years of my life.

Clarity by Zedd – This is the point when I really started falling in love with EDM. This song probably played over a million times on every car ride I ever went to, and I never failed to sing my heart out with the windows down. But even through those hundreds of car rides I took while this song was playing, I remember it through one sort of embarrassing moment. It was at a graduation party, and I was with my boyfriend of the time. He was going to school at Berkeley on the other side of the country, and I was going to be staying in state at Tech. We knew we only had a summer left. When this song came on the speakers, we were chilling in the piano room, and I started crying while singing the song. It was an emotional session of sobbing and snotting, and now that I look back on it, I laugh. At that moment, it was the end of the world. Oh high school love. So young and naive.

Solitude by Y&M – I don’t have a link to this song, but if you want to hear it, I have the song on my computer. Pretty much, my (now ex)boyfriend and I made a bucket list on things we had to achieve before we split different ways for college. Both being music lovers, we had creating a short piano piece on the list to complete our playlist of wistful, short piano songs. After some cliche stargazing on his roof and long talks about life, we went straight to the keyboard and started messing around. I will say that I’m very proud of the song we made. It has a sad and ambient tone that makes you think a lot, but to me, it’s the song that defined the last few days I had left to enjoy my summer.

Salsa Tequila by Anders Nilsen – I find this song hilarious. In the peak of the best summer of my life abroad in Barcelona, my friend discovered this song while messing around on YouTube. We were drinking wine (I’m legal in Europe!) and chilling in a room full of friends when he turned this song on. With the funky saxophone and hype drum beat, we started dancing around the room. It pretty much defined my Spanish vocabulary extent with the most generic Spanish words. It was hilarious, and defined us obnoxious Americans in a Spanish speaking country. It pretty much became the theme song to the best summer abroad.

Coffee by Yuna – I started falling in love with the real taste of coffee following the many espressos I drank in Europe. Coming back to Georgia, I couldn’t help but love the feeling of sitting back, relaxing, and sipping on a cup of strong black coffee. This defined my lazy Saturday afternoons. I had no plans of going out, wasn’t going to be doing any homework, and was going to sit on my couch with my cup of hot coffee. Her voice soothed my body, and everything was very relaxing. It’s truly the simple moments that you remember the best.

Sea of Voices by Porter Robinson – This song consumed my life last semester. When I first heard it, I was amazed by sounds that created a stir of emotions inside of me. It was a mix of happy, sad, excited, amazed, and everything else. When I listen to this song, I automatically close my eyes and let it take over. It helped me recollect life when I was drowning in the Tech workload, but here’s the moment I most remember it for:
It was my fall break trip, I had finally made the group of friends I’d always wanted, and we were cruising along mountain roads in the middle of nowhere. We lost all phone service, and for some reason, I had three Porter Robinson songs downloaded on my phone. Those three songs were played the whole time we were driving as well as sitting in the campsite. You’d think that if you were stuck in the middle of nowhere with only three songs to listen to that you’d kill yourself, but we never got sick of the songs. Sea of Voices was a different experience every time I listened to it. Even as I was flying home on my plane yesterday, I downloaded the Porter Robinson Worlds album before taking off, and when this song came on, I closed my eyes and remembered the best camping trip I’d ever been on. I remembered when we took a long nature walk to find the most beautiful waterfalls, when we filled our tents with glow-in-the-dark balloons and played this song, when it started pouring rain and our tents drowned, when the huge tree fell 2 feet away from the car I was sleeping in and almost killed us, when we got stuck in our campsite because the stream we crossed had turned into a river, when we sent our marathon running friend to swim across the river and go run until he found help, and that pure moment of bliss when we got the cars to the other side of the river, soaking wet from pushing and crying from tears of joy and relief. It may sound horrible from an outer perspective, but it was the craziest trip I’ve ever been on and probably the most exhilarating. We live for the crazy moments, and what’s better than near-death moments with your best friends in the middle of nowhere! (:

I pretty much wrote these short stories while listening to each of the songs, and it really made me get the feels. It was great being able to reminisce on my life and remember how I’ve had some of the best times ever surrounded by the best people. Even on the speakers here at Radius, I love it when I hear one of these songs or any other song that makes me think of a specific moment. You never know what throwback song you’re gonna get when you walk into work! I know that there will be so many more songs that will find their way to a place on the soundtrack to my life, and all it takes is a significant memory and a great song. Being a online marketing intern as contributed to that.

So question for you: What songs are on the soundtrack to your life?

“Yeah mom. I’m totally going to become a CPA when I get out of college, grab a high paying job, and live the life. I love accounting! It’s so interesting, and I could sit at a desk and do it forever.” – Young, Naive Angela

Well, that dream is over.

Applying for colleges as a senior, I was dead set on majoring in accounting. I took an accounting class, found it pretty easy, and even landed myself two internships in accounting during my senior year of high school. It was the life! The numbers matched up easily, accounting made sense, and I didn’t mind sitting in a desk continuously working in silence. Just me and my computer full of numbers.

But you know what? Life changes, and you never know it hit you… until you start hating the idea of what you planned your future out to be. Coming in as accounting, I talked to some of my accountant friends and found that their lives were dull. They worked a 9 to 5 “whenever they finished their work which was late at night most of the time” job, and barely had time to spend with friends or family. Having not even taken an accounting class in college yet, I was afraid and wanted to switch out.

Freshman year was eye opening. I hated college. I didn’t like the people I met, and I didn’t like what I was doing. As I’ve written before, it was my study abroad that changed my life. I met a great group of people who were from very diverse backgrounds, and I discovered that there are some awesome people out there; I just hadn’t been meeting the right ones. This changed who I was because I was finally happy with college as I entered my second year. I decided to rush, meet new people, and start my college experience over on a clean slate. The result? A new perspective on what I want to do in life.

Going abroad made me want to see the world and actually make an impact. I wanted to do something exciting that I fully enjoyed for the rest of my life. Accounting? BORING. So I chose to switch over to finance. I could still be working with the numbers I loved so dearly, but I could actually analyze them and do so much more. After talking to some people who followed their careers on the finance pathway, I once again found them hating their lives. Everyone had a different story based on what they did with finance, but I knew that I wanted to do something different. So I was at a point of confusion. Where do I go from here?

My friend Carolyn told me about her online marketing internship at RadiusOnline where she worked in marketing. I personally had never considered marketing as something I’d do as a career, but she made it sound like Radius was open to allowing her to learn more than just the basics of marketing. Curious and hungry to learn more about this area, I applied to a marketing intern position for the spring and gratefully accepted the position.

Marketing was a new world. Even though I did work on a lot of blogging posts, I loved that I was able to apply technological skill because everything was done online. I loved the feeling when I got to post up all the blog posts that I had edited onto the actual eDentalImage website. Marketing was something that I had no idea I was interested in, but I found a soft spot in my heart for it. Radius helped me cultivate this new-found interest in the area of marketing.

Am I majoring in marketing? No. I’ve actually chosen operation and supply chain at school because the aspect of it intrigues me. I will say that the idea of committing to one thing for the rest of my life is hard, which is why I’m going to try to learn everything about anything while I can. I love efficiency, and I’m hoping that my new choice in what I’m concentrating in helps me fall in love with it more. Marketing is still something I’m very involved in, and I just accepted a VP of Marketing position in the Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations club! The abroad program I’m deciding on for this summer is also a 50/50 chance that it will either have to do with marketing or consulting.

Radius has allowed me to be flexible in the experiences I have, and now I’m in the IT sector. I found that I loved working with technology during the marketing projects, so during my mid-term analysis, I switched over. I’m happy that I’ve finally found things that interest me, and there’s only more experiencing and learning from here on out!

Don’t ever settle. Go for more. Explore! Going abroad for half of the summer is something that Radius has promoted, and I will be returning right after. So love what you do, and keep searching!

Atlanta. The home of the Braves. The southern city of hospitality. The land of endless Waffle Houses on every street. And recently, as always, the place where the weather changes so drastically from day to day, that the city’s weather has been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. Also known as my home and the city I’ve spent the past 19 (almost 20!) years in. Well… technically Atlanta. We say that so we don’t have to explain that we came from one of the suburban cities outside of the Perimeter.

The Love-Hate Relationship

Growing up in the suburbs, I never really experienced the actually city of Atlanta other than the occasional errand here and there, so I thought that “Atlanta” was boring and dull. The people were closed-minded, and there was nothing to do. I thought that going to college, I’d finally be able to escape the 18 years I had spent growing up in “Atlanta,” but I soon found out that the Hope/Zell Miller scholarship would keep me in the city’s grasp for 4 more years (or 5 or 6 or 7… it’s Tech, you never know). Devastated that I wasn’t going to be going to my dream school in California, I grudgingly chose Tech, knowing that it’d be the most financially smart choice. I started college with the mindset that I’d be stuck with the same people for the rest of my life. The people in the suburbs that I thought were “Atlantans.”

That’s the “hate” side of my Atlanta. Here’s what’s changed since then:

I started off freshman year with a “I’m here because it’s cheap, everyone at Tech is awkward, school is depressing and hard, I don’t want to be here” mindset. Of course, that got my freshman, noob-like self nowhere. It was when I went abroad to Barcelona the summer after freshman year that everything changed. Even though I absolutely fell in love with that city, I came to love my own city a little more.

Taking an architecture class on cities and what makes them successful, I learned a lot more about Atlanta than I thought I would. Because Barcelona is structured so methodologically, our class concentrated on its great transportation system, the cultural/historical buildings, and the people-friendly layout of the city in general. This also included bashing on Atlanta’s horrible transportation system (MARTA honestly doesn’t get you anywhere useful except the airport), the lack of historical architecture, and the un-walkable layout of the city. The point of the class was to see why Barcelona was such a booming success of a tourist city, and pretty much was supposed to show why Atlanta sucked. The lesson I learned at the end of the course was completely different.

Why were people bashing on how much Atlanta sucked? Even though it did fail in some big areas to classify it as a “great” city, there were still lots a great perks to the city I called home. We’re the home to the Coca-Cola factory and the 2nd largest aquarium in the world. We’re the birthplace of the civil rights movement in America. We have the world’s largest drive-in restaurant–even though Varsity honestly isn’t that great. If there was no Atlanta in Georgia, then Georgia would just be another Alabama.

I learned that even though Atlanta wasn’t as thoroughly thought through in its building process as Barcelona, that’s what made it different. We’re that underdog city that’s on the rise. We’re a city that has been growing out of the close-minded ideas that shrouded our growth, and now we’re accepting of all changes. We’re racially diverse while we keep our southern hospitality intact. We’ve also come a long way to accept all types of sexuality, which can be seen in the large gay community that we have today. If you don’t already know, we’re a growing tech city that is a top start-up hub. This has given growth to the multitude of start-ups everywhere, including our very own RadiusOnline! And of course, we’re the best.

Through all the bashing that we did over the summer, I only came to find more excuses to love Atlanta. We are the little guy that’s trying to define ourselves in a world full of cities that got a head start. If you end up becoming a dweller of the city, you come to find the hidden coffee shops, the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, the mystical boutiques, and the quaint patches of nature scattered throughout the city. Going to college in the real Atlanta, I’ve met the most amazing and diverse and open-minded peers that have been pushing me to grow in every way. “Atlanta” became Atlanta; a place that I can call home.

It’s days like today that I fall a little harder for Atlanta. As the bipolar weather turned once again, we were blessed with seventy degree weather and clear skies. With the top down on my friend’s convertible, the EDM music loud, and the wind in our hair, we soaked in the sun today, driving through the city and taking random turns in order to get lost. We ended up at Willy’s, grabbed some good Mexican food, walked out to Piedmont Park, sat on the grassy hills, people-watched while chowing down, climbed some trees like kids, and hopped back in the car for some more joy riding. Completely lost in the city, we had permanent smiles plastered on our faces–just a bunch of teenagers blasting music and speeding down a street full of hipsters and their hipster businesses. Of course, we found our way home by searching for the trusty golden pencil in the sky–our beacon and symbol of home. A pencil that to me signifies the beauty of the city (while meaning something completely different to my dad).

Angela

Online Marketing Intern

As most of the individuals in my life know, I can be quite a “freak” when it comes to health. Bringing in green smoothies and kale salads to work have gotten me plenty of remarks, such as “that looks gross” and the popular “you eat like a rabbit”. Even through the criticism, I have stayed mostly true to the values of my eating habits. Eating clean is now my eating habit, but it was once only just a choice. I had to decide to eat this way, because I knew it was a step to get me closer to mental, physical and personal freedom. I wasn’t born this way, vegans aren’t born vegan, paleo-dieters aren’t born paleo – they learn, they decide to change, and they make dieting a habit. So I decided to make it a habit too.

After making my diet a habit, I chose to also change my relaxing habits. These new habits included stretching, reading and, most importantly, meditating.

I started by meditating and stretching specifically in my room. I would close my door, put on some instrumental music and just relax. The big difference between just stretching and stretching while meditating is the absence of thought. Well, not every thought. Humans are pretty much always inclined to think, but meditating teaches you to think about thinking. It sounds like a weird paradox, but it’s easily explained when actually experienced. For understanding purposes, here is an example:

You have a big test coming in 2 days that you have yet to study for. You are quite stressed and, instead of effectively studying, you worry. An hour passes by and you can’t retain any of the information you just studied, which makes you even more worried. You finally decide enough is enough and begin to meditate. While meditating, you breathe in and out deeply, thinking about what has been stressing you out. Thoughts seem to slow down, until you are able to pin-point the problem that has been causing you the most stress. You sit there, thinking about that problem, and decide it shouldn’t be a problem anymore. You throw away the problem. The issue creeps back a few minutes later, you notice you are worrying again, and you throw away the thought for good. You now decide to stop meditating and start studying. The problem is completely erased from your mind and all you can think about is the material at hand. You are going to ace this test.

This is a hypothetical example, but is definitely based off of many true stories from my life. You can almost think of it as juggling. Whether it be family, school, work, cars, friends, health issues or something else, you are always juggling. No matter how many items you juggle, you have the power to focus 0n any item you are juggling. You have the ability to focus on the problem or on the solution. You have the ability to focus on family or friends. Whatever it is, we all have the ability to focus.

Focusing on one thing, whether worried or not, has always been extremely hard feat for me to accomplish. I mean, the World is so big and interesting – I just want to be a part of everything! Even though optimistic, this isn’t always a realistic goal. In most situations, I can’t be everywhere, doing everything, all at the same time. This is definitely a hard task to complete. I can tell you what I can do though – I can think I am everywhere, doing everything, all at the same time. It’s called not-focusing, day-dreaming and focusing more on the future than the present. It’s not healthy, it’s not realistic, it’s not productive. I had to learn the hard way that focusing in the now is the only way I can obtain a better future. I mean, if all I can think about is the future and can’t even finish my homework, how am I going to get to the future? Meditating helped teach me to relax my mind and stay more in the present, the most important, the now.

There are many reasons I put meditation on the top of the list of relaxing techniques most beneficial for health. Through personal experience, meditating made me an overall better person. Better focus, less stress, calmer attitude, higher tolerance for collaboration and higher work output. I mean, it’s one thing to have physical health, but it is another to have mental health.

I wrote this article not to persuade anyone to diet or meditate, but more to help people understand the importance of overall well-being. Unlike what many people believe, well-being is a combination of knowledge, discipline and persistence. One must be knowledgeable of the activities that bring health into the body, as well as the activities that damage the body. One must be disciplined to sacrifice short-term things (such as cupcakes) for long-term well-being. One must also be persistent, sticking to values and moving forward even after the every-now-and-then cheat day. Health and well-being are not about being perfect, but they are about being more considerate to what’s most important – you.

James

Online Marketing Intern

Coffee. <– The lyrics to the song describe my love for it. It calms and fuels my soul for the upcoming obstacles of the day. The simple, black liquid fills my favorite pale blue mug each morning, warming my heart and my hands before a long day of work and classes. Relaxing my body with its rich smells and aroma, the coffee delights my taste buds with the mix of flavors and distinct taste of each bean. As I relax and sink into my warm cup of coffee, I also begin to awaken my mind to my surroundings with a heightened sense of reaction to everything.

I know what you’re thinking. This girl’s one of those “hipster” people who drink their coffee black, only goes to “hipster” coffee shops, wears Wayfarer-style glasses, hates mainstream music… but that’s really not me. I do find those “hipster” coffee shops really cool, but I don’t own those big framed glasses. Black coffee is a taste that I’ve acquired over time, possibly symbolizing my aging and loss of youth… but I’m still into the mainstream EDM and pop. I just really love black coffee and want to talk about it!

When I travel, I like to see my new surroundings through a simple cup of coffee. Coffee can tell you a lot about a place, and it helps you immerse yourself into the culture. I believe that you can see the world through a cup of coffee, and I want to show you a glimpse of the world I’ve seen through the many cups of coffee I’ve consumed. Coffee has shown me the world from places I will probably only visit once in my life, to places where coffee has helped me find home.

1) Daily Morning Coffee in Venice

It was four college kids traveling through the sanctuary on a lagoon, lost in the labyrinth of alleys and hungry by nature. We came upon a small cafe off to the side of a not so busy square where the sun was beginning to creep over the buildings, casting shadows everywhere. As our stomachs led us to the seats of the cafe, I ordered a cup of coffee to start off my morning. Sipping on the foam of the milk mixed in with the espresso, I observed the lost tourists, the busy locals, the sneaky street performers trying to grab the attention and wallets of the tourists, and all I saw was a beautiful city with contrasting lives that arbitrarily overlapped. I found myself getting “lost” each morning after that, stumbling across the same cafe to sip on my morning coffee and fall more in love with the city and its people. Damn, that coffee was good.

2) Cafe Con Leche Addiction in Barcelona

Through the blur of the best summer of my life, I will never forget the daily cafe con leches that I downed every morning right before classes in the school cafe. With my broken Spanish, I made friends with the cafe guys, who knew my coffee order as soon as I walked in. If it had been a long night of exploring the Barcelona night life, my dear friend Guillermo would put in an extra shot of espresso just based on the look on my face. It was a constant habit that got me addicted to the strong, rich taste of espresso with hot milk–the bane of my functioning existence that summer. As I fell more and more in love with Barcelona, it hurt to have leave the city that brought me so much joy, introduced me to lifelong friends, and provided mornings with genuinely good coffee. What I would do to go back one more time, walk into that cafe, look Guillermo straight in the eye, and get that perfect cup of cafe con leche to start off my day.

3) Hipster Paradise at Elixir Coffee Roasters in Philadelphia

Traveling through the city with Carolyn, I wanted to see Philly for the coffee it had to offer, so we used Yelp to find that perfect cup of coffee (just like your dental practice or auto body shop can be found if you have great ratings ;D). Walking in, I knew that it was my kind of place–exposed brick walls, dark wooden tables, a variety of coffee makers, and the rich aroma of dark coffee wafting through the air. It was hipster paradise with a multitude of men in black beanies, scruffy beards, wayfarer glasses, skinny jeans, and the hipster aurora radiating off their bodies. Ordering a black coffee from beans made in Kenya, I sipped on my strong and flavorful coffee, reflecting over the few moments in college that I’ll have to explore the world with my best friends. Watching the strange, urban crowd of Philadelphia sift through the coffee shop, I found myself leaving a part of my heart in the city.

4) My Favorite Orange Coffee Bar in Duluth, Georgia

Back near my hometown, I stumbled upon a little coffee shop with the tacky name Orange Coffee Bar. If you disregard the name, you’ll also be mesmerized by the richness of the coffee that is served. The menu had no typical Starbucks drinks listed, but an assortment of fancy coffee names that I totally knew had to look up on Google. Ordering the most unique things on the menu, I was ecstatic to see my affogato come out as a glass goblet filled with ice cream, paired with a shot of espresso to pour on top–only to create the most mind-boggling, delicious combination of coffee and ice cream that I had ever come across. The macaroons, imported from France, were some of the best I’d ever had, and the iced espresso Coke combination blew my mind. My taste-buds were pleasantly treated to an assortment of great flavors. Immediately became my favorite coffee shop by home. Did I mention that it’s Korean owned? So I’m surrounded by my people. Lol.

5) The Coffee that Flows like Water at Radius

If there’s one place I know will always have coffee flowing like water, it’s Radius. Since the first day I started working, I watched everyone walk into the small kitchen with their mugs, eager to get a few pumps of coffee to start the morning meeting. What I didn’t know was that Radius would make me an addict, so I write this blog with jittering hands and dilated pupils. The most heartbreaking moment is when I go to the coffee machine, the sign says “Full,” but the sign has lied because it’s empty. The sputtering sound of a coffee-dry machine hurts me more than is should… Other than that, I love grabbing one of the various mugs on the counter, filling it with the black liquid of life, and drinking it while working on my assignments. Best part is that I know I’m drinking it in the coolest office ever with the coolest people. My heart will forever will be with Radius… and the coffee that’s always there for me.

6) The Simplistic French Press Coffee in My Apartment

3 tablespoons of dark roast Arabian coffee + 2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice coffee = perfection. Whether I am waking up in the morning, staying up all night for school, or just trying to get my daily coffee in, I can always trust my handy french press to make my perfect cup of coffee. Fall is my favorite season, so the kick of pumpkin in my mug gets me going. Sitting in my apartment, I sit on the left side of the dining table, where I can see the city skyline at an angle from the window. Living on the 10th floor, I get a straight view of the pencil building, a constant reminder as my dad says “to remind you to study all the time,” and a look onto the traffic accidents on I-75. With the Christmas lights strung across the living room, a feeling of peace fills my body as I sip my coffee, enjoying my time as a college student. Tech may be hard, but relaxing to your favorite cup of joe reminds you to reflect on the good things in life.

Coffee is everywhere you go. Take time to step back from the world, get yourself a cup of coffee, and see where it takes you. It helps you relax and reflect on the good parts of life that you usually overlook. For me, I remember cities and places based on that one cup of coffee I had there. It’s like a place-marker on places and times in life that I hold dear to my heart. Coffee is my way of seeing life.

So here’s to exploring and conquering the world–one coffee cup at a time.

Sincerely,

Online Marketing Intern

As I have grown older, I have developed a fond interest in traveling. As cliché as it sounds, traveling changed my life. I studied abroad in Istanbul and Budapest, worked in Montenegro, have family in Germany and have been on multiple road trips in the great United States of America. Words cannot describe the memories and experiences I have made while traveling around the World. Though I have visited many places, I have barely scratched the surface of this planet called Earth. Here is a list of 10 cities I recommend visiting (and hope to visit) in the near future:

10) Seoul, South Korea

With a population of 10 million people, Seoul is the capital city and largest metro area of South Korea. Seoul is known for its technologically advanced infrastructure, boasting economy (4th largest in the World), KPOP music industry and Gangnam district. Don’t be shocked when you see how well dressed everyone is, because this is one of the most fashion-driven cities in the World. Seoul is a large city with a futuristic feel that is definitely worth exploring.

9) Dubai, United Arab Emirates

One of the fastest growing cities of all times, Dubai is a city of contrasts. People from around the World visit  this area of desert, ocean and sprawling city to experience how a real modern city feels. Dubai offers a lot for any traveler, including: skydiving, sailing, visiting the World’s largest mall, clubbing, renting a room in the World’s only 6-star hotel and much more. Just make sure to save your money: Dubai is in the top 10 most expensive cities for vacations.

8) Singapore

Another Asian country made my top 10 list! At #8, Singapore hits the list for its luxurious pools, classy experiences and surrounding scenery. This is definitely an island I would enjoy visiting for work or a romantic date.

7) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One of the most beautiful cities in the World, Rio de Janeiro takes the 7th spot on my top 10 list. Rio is famous for it’s carnivals, especially  Cordão do Bola Preta which holds around 2.5 million people every year! Rio is also known for Copacabana Beach, Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Tijuca Forest and holding the 2014 World Cup. Prepare to get a few months of hard gym training in before heading to Rio – the people here have placed #1 in attractiveness for the past 5 years!

6) Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is known for its vast variety of “fairy chimneys”, which are tall, thin rods of rock. Cappadocia is ranked 2nd in the World for these “fairy chimney” natural wonders and 1st for the best place to ride hot-air balloons. Hey, who wouldn’t want to ride a hot-air balloon?

5) Gold Coast, Australia

Often called “Surfer’s Paradise” for its perfect waves, Gold Coast is a great place for any beach lover! Gold Coast boasts numerous activities such as water sports, tanning, fishing and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. As if the beaches weren’t already enough reason to go to Australia, the people here are amazing as well. Australians are fun-living, healthy people with a very optimistic outlook on life. Definitely worth a vacation!

4) Patagonia, Argentina

Widely known from the popular clothing brand, Patagonia is near the bottom coast of South America. Originally a secret spot for backpackers, the region has become a very popular place to stop for cruisers visiting Antarctica.  The region has a wide variety of grasslands, rivers, plains and of course, mountains. Patagonia is also one of the last regions to see wild horses in their natural habitat. Definitely the perfect spot for anybody interested in rock climbing and hiking!

3) Hunan, China

Hunan, China offers a lot of opportunities for any traveler wanting to experience the ancient culture of China. Hunan contains the Wulingyuan region, which consists of sharp, tall spears of rock formations unlike any others in the World. Hunan also has large cities, ancient temples, mountains and forests, making it a perfect place for all adventure-driven enthusiasts.

2) Munich, Germany

If you are a snowboarder or enjoy snow-skiing, make sure to head to Munich, Germany! Munich is the 3rd best place in the World for skiing and also one of the funnest cities to live. Munich offers a lot of old German culture and architecture, as well as a boasting economy and relatively young population. If you aren’t planning to ski the Bavarian Alps, make sure to check out Frauenkirche, Hofbräuhaus or the famous Oktoberfest. The region is also great for foodies that would enjoy tasting cuisines such as Weißwurst (white sausage), Weissbier and Apfelstrudel. Sports, cuisine, parties and all-around fun in this historic city!

1) London, England

The capital city of England, a city of opportunity, a city that never stops….it’s London! London took my #1 spot because 9/10 people say they would love to visit (and I am one of them). Fashion, business, technology, innovation, arts and sports are all huge in London, England. The city also has a very diverse, young culture due to its 43 international and regional Universities such as Oxford University. Some cool spots to visit in London include: the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Piccadilly Circus, and Hyde Park. Cricket, football (the international kind) and rugby are all huge sports in London, so try to be somewhat knowledgeable when visiting!

Sincerely,

Online Marketing Intern

The Interview (Not the Seth Rogen and James Franco Movie)

I remember my first time as a online marketing intern at RadiusOnline like it was yesterday. I came in all set and ready for my interview, only to find out that I had come in a week earlier than scheduled. My clumsy brain had messed up… again. When I came in on the actual day, I got a look at the office and fell in love. With the exposed pipes on the ceiling and the open, door-free office space, I knew that Radius was different. At that time, I was undecided on my concentration because I had recently dropped finance due to its dry nature, so I was nervous to talk about what I was interested in doing. Explaining that I wanted to try out new things in order to find out what I really love, I was at ease when they told me that the internship program would allow me to work on many different things. I’m the type of person that loves changing up my day-to-day schedule and taking on new challenges, so I found that this internship was the perfect opportunity to learn and try out projects that I never would’ve tried otherwise. As I was leaving, I heard 2 Chainz playing on the speakers and fell a little harder for Radius.

The Initial Impression

My first week starting off, I met the other interns as well as the rest of the team. The environment was friendly, my favorite EDM music was playing on the speakers, coffee flowed like water, everyone was working hard but also taking the time to socialize, and I took it all in, knowing that I had found a company whose culture and values fit mine. I’m the type of person who takes a while to relax and act like my normal self in a new environment, but it happened in no time at Radius. It was probably my About Me presentation that set it off. Nowhere I had worked before cared about letting the office know about who I was and my interests, so I decided to let everyone know the “unique” side of me off the bat. After the generic passions and general info slides, I showed a bit of my personality and humor with my “weird” talents slide. So I went ahead and barked, licked my elbow, cried like a new-born baby, etc. until I had the room cracking up. Weirdly enough, I had stumbled upon a great group of diverse and accepting people that found it entertaining, and I knew that I had found a place that fit me.

The Work and Skills

I was given a project of working on eDentalImage, helping improve the SEO of the website by editing the blogs and changing words to make them more dental search engine friendly. There was a great feeling of accomplishment when I was asked to publish them all onto the website, and I knew that I had taken part in helping develop the company website. I’m currently working on writing new blogs for CarCareConnect, and the more I research on how to write effective blogs, the more I learn about optimizing the website in different ways. I was able to apply things I had learned in my IT class and actually put it to use. Working with digital marketing, I have learned so much about utilizing social media and the importance of an efficient company website. These have just been the initial projects, but I can’t wait to take on other projects that teach me new skills and push the borders of my learning.

The Company Culture

As I am learning new things and taking on different projects, I can’t help but be excited everyday that I’m here. Every Friday, we have catered lunch from a variety of amazing Atlanta restaurants that I never knew existed. Food is a passion of mine, and they take food very seriously here–a great thing in my opinion. Everyone works hard, seen in the increasing numbers we hear about at each meeting, but we also know how to play hard. I’ve learned the importance of creating a company culture that fosters the growth of the relationship of the team, and I fall more and more in love with Radius each day because of it. Also, I’m taking an organizational behavior class, and everything that I’ve learned in that class about a great company environment has been defined by what Radius does. There’s always company social events, including an upcoming Karaoke night at the office, and I can’t wait to get to know the people even more. I feel more and more at home as time goes on.

From Here On

I’m excited to keep on working and developing all sorts of skills with RadiusOnline. I love the people that I work with, learning new things that I never thought I’d be interested in, trying new foods, drinking coffee on the daily like a boss, and growing with a company that is doing great things. Here’s to a great semester!

My first few weeks here as an online marketing intern RadiusOnline have been incredible! I have learned a lot about the business and the people I am surrounded by. Here is a list of some of my experience here at RadiusOnline:

Atmosphere:
The atmosphere at RadiusOnline is a lot different than what I am familiar with from previous internship atmospheres. Unlike most corporate offices, it is very laid back and comfortable here in the office. Big chairs, a kitchen, a putting green, and lots of space to move around. Staying in one spot can be very hard at times, so I really enjoy that I can move freely through the office to work. I also enjoy that the office is fun. One day the team even brought in their dogs for us to hang out with! Was pretty shocked to learn that I can accomplish work while also feeling extremely comfortable. Another thing I enjoy are all the inspirational quotes. The whole team receives an inspirational quote everyday to start the day with a fresh, new start. It’s a great atmosphere.

Coworkers:
My coworkers are awesome! All very bright, humorous people. We have lunch together every Friday* and we always have great conversations. I felt welcome the first day I started working, because everyone is very easy to get along with. Not going to lie, it took a really long time for me to actually learn everyone’s names, but it became easier after speaking to everyone individually. I did an “About Me” so everyone could learn more about myself, and it broke the ice fairly quickly. I am definitely looking forward to hanging out more in the future – especially Karaoke night.

*Food is a hot topic here at RadiusOnline

Skills:
My favorite part of the internship is all the knowledge I am gaining for a future career. Before RadiusOnline, I was unfamiliar with the world of Digital Marketing and Search Engine Optimization. Through team meetings and training I have broadened my horizon about how Digital Marketing and SEO work. I have also learned a lot about the bridge between Marketing and Sales. Marketing and Sales go hand-in-hand, and it is awesome to learn first-hand how each action can affect the other. The other skills I have gained include: creating blogs, organizing a billing system, working in a team and growing/managing social media. Although I have learned a lot, one of the most important things I have learned at RadiusOnline is time management. Managing my time interning, going to school, working and exercising has been a challenge that I have learned to overcome. Over the past few weeks, I have experienced first hand how time management and teamwork can grow a company. I am excited to see what else I will learn in the future!

Other:
In addition to all the skills I have gained from RadiusOnline, I have also learned a lot about the surrounding World. Everyone in the office is very involved in the surrounding community and global issues. We often engage in discussions about development projects in Atlanta, sports, music, food and global epidemics. There was a day that I spent a whole lunch break with some coworkers discussing organic farming, travel and cultural differences. It is a great feeling to come into an office where people are so involved and complex.