In the last 48 hours…

Two things that happened in the last two days really surprised me.

For the few of you who actually read my blog but don’t actually know me, let me start off by saying that I just moved to LA without a penny in my pocket and the belief that God will provide a way. Thus far, He has exceeded my expectations by far. However, I’ve been having issues with my current apartment. The landlord and I have been going back and forth about the rent since she has changed our rent agreement after I gave her my deposit. However, I’ve been lucky enough to secure another apartment to live in for December.

And this is where the first part of my story begins.

Yesterday, I responded to an ad on Craigslist. A strange email came back from a man named Prince Mumba. At first I thought it might have been a scam since the name sounded a little… well let’s just say it’s not Joe Smith or Christine Davis. However, I responded back and told him I would like to see his place anyway since it was one of the only listings I can afford with my itsy bitsy salary close to where I work. Later on I googled him to find out that he is an Olympic Athlete from Zambia, so I was a little more comfortable with meeting a stranger in Venice at 10pm.. I went over to his apartment which was immaculately cleaned and organized. It was amazing how well kept his room was for a dude. In my head, I was thinking “How In The World Could He Rent This Place Out For 800 Bucks?!” I told him I’d take it. And he said, “Okay, I’ll tell the other people not to come, and it’s yours for December”. I asked him if he needed a deposit, a background check, a copy of my drivers’ license, anything. All he said was “I just need your word”. It took me back by surprise. How can a man who just met me trust that I wouldn’t flake, or even worse trash his home?

It dawned on me that our word in America today means nothing. It might mean something to a friend or a family member, but businesses would never just take your word for something without getting some type of legal, binding document involved. In regards to my situation with my current landlord, parts of me really wish I could just put faith in her character, but I just can’t. I can’t because she didn’t stick to her word in the past and I just don’t know her. And that’s really sad. In a world where our words mean nothing, all we have to show for are our things, our material things; our character is devalued and abased.

So I’ve decided to believe in and expect honesty, truthfulness and loyalty. It might come back to bite me in the ass, but I refuse to live in a world where our character is worthless.

After being touched by this man’s words, I stumble upon a woman living out of her car in the parking lot of Pavillions in Marina Del Rey. At first I decided to just ignore her because she probably doesn’t want anyone to see her. Then all I could think about were those “missed opportunities” Mac Graham, a pastor out in Richmond, talked to my church’s young professionals group about. So I sat in my car. I called a friend to get her opinion. Then I prayed. I prayed until I had enough courage to go up to her car. I fumbled with my words then finally blurted out, “Can I buy you dinner?” To my surprise and probably to her surprise too, she teared up and said, “Yes.”

The conversation was incredibly surprising and refreshing. This post will go on forever if I go into the details of what we talked about, so I’ll just end with this:

At first glance, I thought our belief in others causes us to believe in ourselves. But it’s really not about us humans. It’s all about Him – capital “H” Him. God’s character is the foundation for all things good. Our belief in others is triggered by our belief in God which causes us to believe that God can do wonders in our lives.

Sorry if this is now sounding a little preachy or unclear.

I know it’s not all fleshed out, but I wanted to get the words out there while it’s still fresh. Thanks for bearing with me.

Ta,

A

McUpdate

I’ve had a few questions about my last post. This is what’s up…

1. Yes, I got rid of my savings/mutual fund.

2. Yes, I am applying for jobs at McDonalds. I’ve applied at 3 different locations, but they don’t seem to want to hire me.

More updates to come when/if I get a job in fast food.

I have a crazy idea.

I’ve been thinking about what comfort, wealth and luxury mean to me lately, and I’ve come to semi-despise it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with granite counter tops filled with a matching set of KitchenAid appliances, Frette sheets on a Tempurpedic mattress, spontaneous trips to Napa, New York or Naples, sporting the latest Lulu Lemon to Bikram classes, etc.

I just hate how I love the feeling of being comfortable. I also hate how I’ve enjoyed having an image that I am materially wealthy (I felt complimented when people call me a “Bellevue Girl”…).

Along the way, lots of things have reconfirmed to me the importance for me to stop being so dang comfortable and bougie. For example…

• During a job interview, someone asked me to share about a risk I’ve taken in my life, and what I shared about was just so UMC.
• Being an exchange student in Singapore where all of us had so much money to blow on such stupid things… I didn’t even meet an exchange student who wasn’t well off. In fact, I almost felt poor in comparison to some.
• Calling my mom a redneck when she told me she wanted to sell our Bellevue house and live in an RV… and now realizing that I say Bellevue house

Aside from the yucky feeling, I think that being so comfortable is hindering my personal growth. So, here’s my plan to get rid of the yucky feeling of loving comfort and materialism. I’m going to do things that make me uncomfortable.

• I’ve emptied out my mutual fund in which I put all my savings into for the last 6 years and gave it away
• I’m applying for a jobs at fast food restaurants in locations where people I know might see me

I think this might be a fun adventure… I’m curious as to what will happen.

To be honest, now I feel even more bougie because I just called a less privileged lifestyle “fun”. It’s like calling poverty cute. My gosh, I have a lot to learn!!

Cartel Strategy

Every morning I listen to NPR while I get ready for life. Last week, the radio station profiled two of Mexico’s top drug cartels. Each of the organizations had its own strategy, and I thought the strategies they use are some

I’ll try my best to explain each strategy in a simple, quick way.

La Familia

This gang is one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels. It started out as a defense unit that protected the locals from outside drug traffickers, and eventually became one as well–it also (illegally) sells  a myriad of other goods weaving itself into the social fabric of the region. Unlike most drug families, La Familia employs spirituality to capture the allegiance of the community as well.

La Familia Brands: Progressive Insurance, Whole Foods…

Zeta

Instead of using spirituality and community to bolster its reign, the Zetas use brute force and horrific acts of violence to scare the community into subjugation. The Zetas are well equiped and have the same capabilities as the Mexican armed forces. Everyone lives in fear of them even the government.

Zeta Brands: Allstate Insurance, Walmart…

More explanation/thoughts to come

Trans-Fabulous

Inspired by a wig-wearing golddigger.

The other night , I was catching up on the new season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Kim–the annoying blonde–was describing her male friend who wears woman’s clothing as “trans-fabulous”. I thought it was a clever little saying & it stuck with me.

Tyler Brule. the essence of trans-fabulous.

This morning, I was reading NYT.com & ran across an article about the CEO of Winkreative, a London based ad agency, named Tyler Brule. Aside from his ad business, he has sold a magazine to Time, he started a new magazine and he was a BBC trained journalist.

The guy is able to cross these verticals because he is Trans-Fabulous. His work oozes luxury lifestyle and simple sophistication (think James Perse & Wimbeldon–2 of his clients).

Brule’s cross-industry work makes absoblute sense to me. At the end of the day, companies don’t sell products. They sell lifestyles. People are willing to pay $100 for a James Perse t-shirt because it helps them live the good life casually.

Core Competency.

This makes me think most companies have limited themselves immensely by honing in on a narrow, restraining core competency. Can a company have a frou-frou core competency like fabulous-ness to reach its full potential?

I’m not really sure if this thought expands past the world of marketing. As a supply chain management major at ASU, I highly value the importance of niche core competencies–like logistics and information transfer for WalMart–to propel a business to success.

However, the one company that exemplifies a flexible core competency is General Electric. GE basically goes after every industry that will make them money & it is the only company that has given out dividends every year to shareholders since the Great Depression.

Thoughts?

I’m not THAT desperate

Here’s the scoop:

This is my last semester as at ASU. As a member of the Honors College, I need to write a thesis. Since my thesis requires uber amounts of work, I’ve decided to apply for some admin positions to get some cashmoney instead of taking on a demanding internship.

I wasn’t really sure where to look for admin positions, so I turned to Craig’s List.. Here’s an email correspondence between me and a possible employer:

Hello,

My name is Angela Sun & I am interested in a PT admin position posted on Craigslist. I am fairly familiar with the ad industry since I just wrapped up my internship with BBH NY where I worked as a planner on the Axe and Lego accounts, I’ve interned at E.B. Lane, as well as a small boutique digital agency in New York called Creative Feed (Clients included Fresh & Easy/Walmart, Microsoft, and Land Rover).

Additionally, some of my internships have included admin responsibilities. Please see my resume for details. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Angela Sun

Hi Angela,

We like what we see so far. Our admin position requires someone with strong personal image and a high level of energy. Do you have a Myspeace, Facebook, or picture so we may get to know you before having you in for an interview?

Hi Christian,

I’ve attached my picture. Please feel free to end my candidacy for this position.

Picture I sent to CraigsList Employer

Thanks!
A

UPDATE: HA. Christian emailed me back after 3 weeks.

His Response.

That’s a picture of two cats in costumes

Hunter/Gatherer Planning

A few days ago I was sitting on my friend’s tiny couch discussing the latest gossip/drama in our ragtag group of  hooligans. One of our friends seems to always have a man in her life despite her lack of “obvious appeal?” (ouch!).

He came to the conclusion that she is like a lionness. She hunts for guys. But she’s not the top lionness–she’s the one on the bottom of the social pole. Thus, she only hunts for the prey that has a limp or is super slow.

I came to the conclusion that I am not a hunter. I am a gatherer. I only pick up the men who happen to cross my path at the right moment in time.

So how does this relate back to planning?

Here’s how. There are a million and ten ways to go about solving a planning problem & everyone has their own way about it–we can even switch it up to keep things fresh and new. For me, in this stage of my babyplanning career (ugh if you can even call it a career..), I am going to gather. I am going to keep my eyes peeled. Explore every path that comes my way. And I am going to share my adventures with you here. On this site. On my life. Hope you enjoy!!