Monday, March 11, 2013

Californication


My parents were in town this weekend, so I got to play tourist in my own (new) city. Together, we walked along the Santa Monica Pier and drove to Griffith Park to see the Hollywood sign in the distance (pictured above). We also went our separate ways, as they explored other areas of town and I saw Looper at Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema, followed by a Q&A with the writer and director Rian Johnson (photo below).


In other entertainment news, the film Status Quo? that I worked on for my marketing consulting project during my MBA had a free online streaming to celebrate International Women's Day. The documentary is now available for 48-hour rental here.

I am also excited to share the link for C2-MTL volunteer opportunities, which have recently become available. As you may well know by now, I can attribute my current job to my experience as a volunteer for that particular amazing conference in Montreal! I strongly recommend getting involved in C2-MTL - it is a conference unlike any other!


Additionally, I wanted to note that C100 is accepting applications for 48 Hours in the Valley. As explained in the video above, this is a great way for Canadian startup founders to learn from fellow Canadians who have relocated to Silicon Valley. More information can be found on the C100 website.

Lastly, someone recently shared with me Business Insider's "Career Advice from LinkedIn's Billionaire Founder." I hope you like it as much I do!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Mix and Match

We had the most amazing weather here from Thursday to Saturday! With the high temperatures and sunny skies, I happily went for daily jogs along the beach. I am truly enjoying the fitness culture in LA and I have embraced it through my jogs and gym rat habits. I even realized that I have started to collect matching sunglasses for my workout gear (see below).

Matching to the max!

Speaking of health and wellness, there was big news at bLife this week as we launched our newest app, a 30-Day Stress Less Challenge in partnership with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). As I monitor bLife's Twitter account, it's been great to see such positive feedback regarding Stress Less.

Interestingly, as I've been following news concerning stress, I felt that my worlds were colliding when I read a press release about preventing chronic pain with stress management. The study, which was led by professors in Montreal, clearly combined my old world (Montreal) with my new world (stress management).

I also continue to stay abreast of news in the startup world, particularly here in Santa Monica. I recently caught two Daily Muse articles that I wanted to share: "5 Ways to Work for a Tech Start-Up - Even if You Can't Code" and "5 Great Reasons to Consider a Job in Tech." As for local news, it was great to discover "The Rise of Silicon Beach: The Disruptive LA Tech Scene." Of course, I haven't just read about the goings-on in the startup community, I've also attended some more events, including a Tech Coast Angels (TCA) LA launch party and the TechZulu & Digital LA 5-Year Anniversary Bash (photo below).

Me and Josh Dubinsky, Business Development for At the Pool (Photo courtesy of PhotoBoxi)

I am happy to say that I have spent some time doing non-tech events, too. I went to a friend's amazing birthday party in a park that was complete with cotton candy, bubbles, tiaras, hula hoops, fairy wings, etc. (photo below). I also attended a screening of a crazy Ron Howard and George Lucas film called Willow at the Aero Theater that had a great Q&A with the screenwriter afterwards. This has definitely been a diverse, but awesome week!

Birthday party in the park