My Review of Black Rivet Funnel Neck Coat

Originally submitted at Wilsons Leather

Black Rivet Funnel Neck Coat

Perfect design & fit! Love my new coat!

By Raluca from Dallas, TX on 12/13/2009

 

5out of 5

Pros: Attractive Design, Versatile, Warm, Comfortable, Lightweight, Good Cut

Best Uses: Travel, Going Out, Daily Use

Describe Yourself: Trendy/Stylish Dresser

I bought this coat on Black Friday and it was so worth the 2am drive to the store! I receive compliments on it every time I wear it! It is cut in a beautiful French style and makes me feel stylish and sexy! Highly recommended!

(legalese)

What an exciting day!

First, I re-connected with a long lost friend whom I care a lot about! Sometimes I wonder what our world would be without Facebook and all of the other social media networks! :) I have very few friends left who see no value in all of this, but my personal opinion is that they are missing out! How amazing is it to have one place where all of your memories come together, and where you can enjoy watching updates of your friends - their whereabouts, their life developments, their interests? :) I even got my beloved friend Tiffany hooked on Facebook, although she resisted it so adamantly for a long time! :)

I am also finalizing my invitation lists for my graduation ceremonies and pre- and post-graduation parties! Very exciting! :) It is hard to believe that I am so close to the end - where did time fly and what can I do to relive all of those incredible moments?

The only thing left for me to work on is my Lauder thesis, where I am examining the resilience and subservience of women in Iranian films. Perhaps I will upload my paper after I finish it, and share it with all of you! I have two recommendations in case you are looking for great movies to watch - Santouri and Two Women. Both exquisite!

So long for now! - I am going to read a few blogs about the launch of the new Kindle DX! I think I will actually buy it this summer! The thought of carrying my entire library on one device absolutely thrills me! :)

Back to Chocolate World!

Last Thursday I visited Chocolate World and Amish Country with some of my Israeli classmates. After a series of unexpected adventures including a flat tire in the middle of Amish fields, we finally made it to our buggy ride destination :) We had to skip lunch at an Amish restaurant and a visit to an authentic Amish house and farm, and instead hunt for an Enterprise location in the middle of nowhere! Around 3:30pm we arrived at Hershey, and Jared took us on a trolley tour of the city, as well as on the famous Chocolate World ride! We spent the afternoon with Hershey's Young Professionals Group and had dinner at my favorite place in Harrisburg: Cafe Fresco! Exquisite fusion cuisine!

New York, New York....

Last Thursday, Jared came from Harrisburg to see my final tango performance at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. After hours at the popular Wharton pub, the student audience went crazy - people were so loud, that we could barely hear the music on the stage. Quite an experience! I am just so thankful that the choreography came together - just a few days before, it had looked so uncoordinated!

Jared spent Friday working on his paper and I went to school for Final Friday activities. Yes, we are days away from graduating! It was great catching up with my cohortmates again and seeing Jennie's newborn - one of the few Wharton babies!

The following day we drove to New York for an amazing evening of fine Italian dining, a comedy show, Korean Karaoke (which Jared surprised me with :)), and yes, Charles' Lauder wedding! We stayed at the Sofitel hotel and all I know is that once I graduate and I save some money, I will buy a bed as amazingly comfortable as that was! :)

The end of an amazing journey

I feel that for the past year, I have not stopped. Since my trip to Israel last May, my life has taken quite a turn! First, I finished my internship at Hershey's, working on two iconic brands, the York Peppermint Pattie and the Whatchamacallit candy bar. In addition, I helped launch a new product called Thingamajig which I hope everyone will try! :) My time at Hershey's was definitely a journey of learning: from dissecting enormous databases in every way possible, to working with design agencies on packaging graphics, to presenting to the VP of Chocolate for North America. Not only did I learn a lot, but also met my amazing boyfriend Jared! :) All in all, my summer was incredible - of course! my internship came with unexpected perks :) During those months, Jared and I took a few exciting trips. One of them was to Dallas, visiting my beloved friend Tiffany who was excited to have entered the last trimester of her pregnancy. We also spent time with some of my old friends and of course, with my sister and her husband, who barely allowed us to do anything but spend time with them :) :) In Dallas, Jared was for the first time introduced to the state of Texas, and his experience driving through cowboy lands was quite memorable :) We also made time for my very favorite Pete's Dueling Piano Bar and a comedy show, where we had an absolute blast! I also introduced Jared to Persian cuisine, which he is now addicted to :) Later on in the summer we visited his older brother Jamie in DC and took a trip to New York, where we spent a few days at the US Open. Tennis is Jared's passion, and I had always dreamt of attending the prestigious championship! That weekend also marked the end of my internship and soon after, I returned to Dallas. I don't recall all of the details of the past few months, but I know I have enjoyed every single moment! :) From spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with Jared's family and our fabulous Mexican friends, to taking various other domestic trips together, to flying to Brazil with a group of Lauder friends, to taking the most interesting classes and being able to work on my travel concept, it has been an incredible ride! I am now two weeks away from graduating and closing yet another chapter in my life, and I look forward to the world of opportunities that will open after that! I am happier than ever in my life, and more excited about the future! Before rejoining the workforce full time, I will enjoy one more vacation with Jared, to Spain, Romania and Turkey. Can't wait to show him the places where I grew up! Lots of love, everyone!

Ralu's Amazing Trip to Israel!

Ralu Goes to Chocolate World! :)

So darlings, allow me to put all rumors to rest :) It is true: as of June 16th, I will be working at Hershey's in their marketing / brand management division! I am thrilled! After having interned at Disney in 2000, I never thought I would end up living in a fairytale city again, but here I am, headed to Chocolate World! I hope God gives me the strength to resist the temptation of indulging myself in sinful amounts of rich, dark chocolate! hahaha I am reminded by what Oscar Wilde used to say: "I can resist everything but temptation" :) That will soon be me! Hugs to everyone!

United Arab Emirates

I spent Spring Break in Abu Dhabi, with my parents who flew from Romania to be with me. I am amazed by the ability of a country to transform itself from a desert into a thriving economy in such a short amount of time! And even so, I find myself enjoying everything that connects with the past more than the overwhelmingly high skyscrapers and luxurious malls. So, what I loved most were the new mosque in Abu Dhabi, which is built of white marble. in traditional Islamic style, my desert safari, and my camel ride. I appreciate, though, the country's effort to blend modernity and tradition, and to accept people's different preferences. I saw women covered completely in black (including their eyes), buying the most expensive and colorful silks. I saw young women expressing their beauty through wearing designer glasses and long, black abbayas decorated with beads and precious stones. It is definitely a fascinating world, in constant motion, and there is a lot to learn from their success.

Small Group Dynamics

Today was the second day of our small group dynamics workshop. Although we have a facilitator, she makes comments rarely, and even those times, everything she says is cryptic. The 12 members of our group met yesterday for the first time, and we have had absolutely no context or suggestion for possible discussion topics. We are in an unstructured environment, which is unfamiliar for all of us. It has been fascinating to witness how we go through the same stages of group formation as described in our texts, despite our desire to do so! After spending 8 hours yesterday trying to figure out what we were supposed to discuss, today it was interesting to talk about why we all returned to spend yet another day doing the same. Was it because of the group? The fact that we did not want to let the others down? The authority of our facilitator who barely utters a few words? We are all extremely busy, and could be working on homework or other things, rather than be there, however not even one of us missed today's session! Frustration was definitely present in the group. I have discovered that I fall into my natural state every time I enter a new group: I don't speak much and instead I observe the members of the group. I wonder why I have this need to first feel the group, and then interact, while others are comfortable speaking from the very start. Today I learned something new though: that many of those who contribute often actually feel a sense of insecurity, which I found astonishing. I am sensing different emotions in the group: some are frustrated, some are angry but still choose to stay, some are anxious, some try different strategies to create conflict and more excitement, and some are calm and patient. This entire experiment has been extremely interesting. We are becoming increasingly introspective, and I look forward to tomorrow's discussions. All my love!

A second birthday party at my apartment! :)

Happy Birthday to Us! :)

Dearest friends, this was the most spectacular birthday party I have ever had! Hundreds of guests celebrated with all of us born in September on the sumptuous Moshulu ship which graces the Delaware River! In the pictures, you will notice Shelly, Patrick, and Jesus, who , like me, are Christmas-conceived babies :)

Cohort D Blog

Hello dearest friends, as I am continuously swamped in projects and social events :), I will let my talented cohort member Bradley take the lead and inform you on what goes on in our class. He has just been elected Historian, and therefore it is his cohortic duty to keep a journal of our activities. Here is his blog: http://cohortdrules.blogspot.com/

I will continue to post entries whenever my time permits and something 'extraordinaire' happens.

But before I leave you in the company of his epistoles, allow me to explain the cohort system at Wharton.

Size of admitted class: ~ 800

Number of cohorts per class: 12
Approximate number of people per cohort: 65
My cohort letter: D
*** Each cohort takes all core classes together

Learning teams per cohort: 12
Approximate number of people per learning team: 5-6
*** Each learning team works on all core projects together.
My learning team is composed of:
Itai - Israel
Raquel - USA
Ade - Nigeria
Anders - Denmark
and myself :)

I probably have one of the best learning teams out there, I am excited!!!!!! :D :D

Hugs and kisses and please read Bradley's blog!

I do not want to forget to mention the phenomenal 3-day seminar on "Negotiating in Times of Crisis", which is being taught by none other than Gilead Sher, Chief of Staff and Policy Coordinator for the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Mr. Sher was also the Chief Negotiator at the 2000 Camp David Summit! I sat 2 feet away from the man who under the burden of history, religion, myth, and violence, tried to bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict! I am so humbled by the people with whom I come in contact here, and so inspired by their dedication to bring positive changes to our world.

Mr. Sher will host the third and final part of the seminar tomorrow. We will have the opportunity to practice our recently learned skills through a negotiation simulation which will highlight some of the current political conflicts confronting our world.

Darlings, life at Wharton is so exciting, that I do not have a minute to breathe :) I have overlapping events at every hour of the day! :) I am extremely happy, I feel like I am living life at its fullest! I have made new friends, including Naila from Pakistan and Ashley, Miss South Carolina 2004! Aside from extremely intelligent, they are both gorgeous!

Lost is Statistics :)

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating my blog in a while! My head is spinning trying to fit data in multiple regression models and figuring out whether it would be more advantageous for a company to sell individual products or bundles :) On the other hand, I must say that I am utterly surprised to find out that I love accounting - I never thought that could happen. It feels different studying accounts at 28 than at 18 - I understand concepts better ;) The class is highly interactive - we get cold called so everyone is studying like crazy. We have what is called the "battle of the cohorts", where everyone gets points for answering correctly. The pressure is on, because if we are not prepared, we lose points for the entire team.

Other than that, I have two waiver exams next week (Stats and Microeconomics), plus the Spanish evaluation test (our language level is tested periodically to ensure that we are improving.)

On Friday and Saturday I went to various parties and BBQs, and yesterday to a birthday dinner for MK (ladies only :)). It's fun, the group is gelling well :) My favorites remain the Lauderites, we are quite a gang! Jose, Matt, Brian, Jeff and Kirk are awesome - I could spend every minute of the day with them, and I would never get bored! They died laughing at me during our project meeting on Saturday, when they decided to order pizza in my apartment and I had to call to "make a modification to my order". They taught me (in colorful language) how I should have done that. hahahahaha

Hugs to everyone!

A nice, relaxing week filled with parties, city tours and school ceremonies. Over the weekend, I had dinner with Aryea, a Jewish New Yorker, and then lunch with about 50 other students - the majority Chinese! I am loving it :)

Pictures from Barcelona!

Hi everyone, I posted 2 sets of pictures below - one from Alhambra and one from our farewell party in Barcelona. Hope you enjoy them! :)

Hi everyone, I fell from the Mallorcan paradise right into Huntsman Hall! hahahahaha so my darlings, back I am at school! wish me luck, because the craziness has already started! I am meeting tens (or hundreds?:)) of new people every day, what an amazing feeling! of course, the Lauder crowd is extremely tight, we are the veterans and we feel entitled to special treatment :) just kidding!! we have been assigned different cohorts, I am in letter D together with 5 other Lauderites and 60 wombas ( Wharton-only MBAs :)) I am missing my Spanish group... Brian, Jeff, Jose, Matt, Daniel and all the rest..... oh, the girls too!! hahahahhaa did i get carried away? :) Shelly, Liana, Steph and I have become extremely close, this will be an awesome year.... as long as I can hang in there :) Wish I could show you my schedule, complete insanity!!!! mua mua mua! miss everyone bunches!!

Leaving Granada...

Leaving aside the fact that I fell ill yesterday, my time in Granada has been amazing! Alhambra seems a magic place from One Thousand and One Nights, with its curved ceilings, ornate interiors, scented gardens and mosaic fountains. I wish everyone on this planet could visit this place at least once in their lifetime.... At 10pm I returned to the gardens for a SPECTACULAR show of eclectic music and dance dedicated to the time spent by the world renown Spanish author Federico Garcia Lorca in New York. A mixture of capoeira, jazz, flamenco, and many other dance styles, the spectacle was a an absolute delight! In one act, about 10 male dancers performed while water was being poured from an installation mounted on the top of the stage - an amazing play of shadows and lights reflected in the water! I wish I could describe the effect but no words seem to do justice to the beauty of the act.

I am leaving to the airport in 5 minutes - destination: Palma de Mallorca!