CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT: CONDE NAST INTERNS WIN SETTLEMENT

I am, and always will be, one who roots for the underdog. The classic underdog story always stirs up the right heartstrings in my spirit, inspires me to seek justice, but most importantly, reminds me that I, even as a single entity, can fight against the intimidating, powerful giants holding the big guns. So as a former fashion intern myself, I took a piqued interest in the recent class action lawsuit against Conde Nast, the owner of publications such as Vogue, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair.

On October 23, 2013, Conde Nast announced that it was discontinuing its highly coveted, internship program. Lauren Ballinger, former intern at W Magazine, and Matthew Lieb, former intern at The New Yorker, were the fire-starting interns who filed for suits in June 2013 at the Federal District Court in Manhattan. Both claimed that they were unpaid for their efforts in helping the publication gain commercial profits. Ballinger stated that she working something amounting to less than a measly $12 a day at W Magazine.

How in the world is a girl supposed to eat with $12 a day in New York City! Really! I did some simple arithmetic, and it takes at least $40, minimum, to survive uncomfortably in New York. This city's tight, and the competition in fashion is even tighter, so in this instance what is an intern supposed to do? Strap on some combat stilettos boots, take a long, deep breath, and tiptoe up the narrow path up the corporate fashion ladder, or pull up their sleeves, and get some blood on their hands by filing a lawsuit against the big corporation?

Recently, Conde Nast settled for a $5.9 million law suit, and is inviting any of their former interns, from June 13, 2007 to December 29, 2014, to pick up a long overdue paycheck of anything from $700 to $1,900. The settlement affects about 7,500 interns who have put in their dues at the major Conde Nast publications. This is one of the many class action lawsuits that have changed the course of workforce history in America.

I'm really happy that the lowest positioned soldiers out on the merciless field of fashion, united and fought against and retaliated against a huge force; however, I do wonder what the future holds for the interns who filed the lawsuits. Will Ballinger and Lieb have a chance at getting hired at better companies? I mean, does it get any more divine than Vogue? Or will companies hiring such interns feel a threat to their brand? I'm intrigued, and I truly wonder.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted.

Xo,
Haerina

ADVENTURES IN PUERTO RICO

Hello world! 

Sorry for the late update, but it's been so hectic and busy lately, I hadn't had a chance to sit down and dedicate myself to writing a post but it's been in my heart and mind daily. Just to give you an update, I've been back in New York from Puerto Rico for about a little over a week now. Even when I look back at my own photos, I can't believe I just came back from the little enchanting island. 

Life in New York gets me jaded.. I really try to stay positive, and active, though it's not easy. I was going to begin working as a part-time cashier, at a small restaurant I used to work at as a waitress when I first came back to New York, after my two year world traveling experience. I worked at the restaurant for three days, but long story short, it didn't work out for me. It kind of stinks that it didn't work out, because my initial plan was to just have a bit more side cash, while continuing my job hunt. However, things don't always work out according to plan, and you have to learn from each lesson life throws at you. I think the lesson here was that I'm not supposed to be a cashier, waitress, or anything like that, and I have to work harder to do the things that I am meant to do. The overall experience made me want to push myself harder to pursue my own dreams. 

I'm still unsure what it is that I want to do exactly, but I know that I want to learn things like photo editing, Photoshop, photography, website programming, but still do it in a very business way. I've always had an interest in pursuing an MBA and I remember looking into the programs while I was in undergrad, studying as a Psychology major. I was daunted by the price of the MBA programs, and I felt that in business, degrees and academic knowledge were superfluous. A lot of the business giants I looked up to, such as Sarah Blakely, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and the list continues, didn't have much formal business academic backgrounds. I felt that entrepreneurs didn't need such training. But on the same token, there's a part of me that wants to be equipped with academic strength that will enable me to combat the merciless business world. The business giants who made it to the top either hired MBAs, or other smart people who possessed the skill sets they were missing. I have a bit of a tango going on in my mind, and I'm not sure which side to take..

Anyways, as I continue balancing out my thoughts, here's an update of my adventures in Puerto Rico, a charming getaway I needed, as I've been paving out my way in New York.   

Where in the world is Susan Sandiego?

Do Not Disturb

Off-Duty

House White and Red Wine

Shrimp with Creole Sauce and Red Snapper with Plantains

Glorious drapery flowing outwards of the chandier

Sending you my senorita kisses~

Ready..

Jump!

Panoramic view of the beach

On top of a mountainous, rustic village

Smelling my roses, while strolling along the romantic, and historic Old San Juan

Red, orange, and pink roses

Sunset on the beach

Icacos Island (white sand beach, off the coast on the northeastern tip on the island)

Sailing through life

Sweet dreams all
Xo,
Haerina

BREAK FROM NY: HOLA PUERTO RICO, READY FOR TAKE-OFF

Hi world!

I just arrived from the sunny Isla del Encanto (enchanting island) last night, and I'm still transitioning from the relaxing tropical to stress-inducing city life. Where do I begin? There's so much that went down, and so much that will go forgotten if I don't write out everything now!

First off, I had been living in New York for roughly a year now, and I slowly felt myself becoming hardened and jaded by the hustle life here. I had a lot of good experiences, but I had a lot of challenges placed in front of me too. From bad roommates, to horrible bosses, to worse MTA subway commutes, New York taught me to trust no one, but my own instincts--that life here is fast, expensive, and a lot of people are willing to take advantage of your naivety, so you need to put up a serious face, and act the part. I don't really like this style, and it really took time for me to realize this, but I now see the efficiency and necessity of this. Because New York will eat you alive if you don't toughen up!! Sharpen your tongues, and minds accordingly.

Anyways, I felt beaten up by this city, and a vacation was long passed due. I've been meaning to go on vacation, but I had a lot of concerns in my mind. I was still on this job hunt, and I didn't feel too good about spending money on it, but heck, that's life isn't it? When you have the time, you don't have the money, and when you have the money, you don't have the time huh? The time was pressing, so I somewhat impulsively bought the roundtrip airplane tickets from New York City to Puerto Rico, and planned step by step there afterwards.

Boarding Passes: Tickets to Paradise 

Before heading off to Puerto Rico, and after purchasing the plane tickets online, we made a little Puerto Rico box, where we placed things we would bring to the enchanted island. The first thing we bought was sunblock and an old-fashioned waterproof camera. Gradually, we filled our box with other things such as clothes, goggles, and other random things we thought would be appropriately fun for the trip. 

I guess buying the plane ticket is the hardest part, because everything after that organically gets planned. So the first vacation advice to give anyone would be: Buy the plane ticket. We then made hotel reservations, planned to rent a car, and brainstormed ideas for activities. 

We planned out a short trip from the eighth to the eleventh of the month, and marched onwards. We found a Groupon deal to stay at the Wyndham Hotel in Palmas del Mar. Funny story. We had clicked to purchase the Groupon deal to book the hotel room, but it had unfortunately the deal ran out right under our fingertips, seconds after we clicked the SUBMIT button. Yeni didn't give up there, and proactively directly called Palmas del Mar to get a room. Long story short, Yeni got a better deal talking to the front desk on the phone. Interesting, no? After we bought the plane ticket and reserved the hotel room, we were just counting down the days until take off. 

We patiently waited, and March 8th finally arrived. Here are some photos of us San Juan bound. 

Kissing cold, ugly NY bye--for now

Sunset (AirTram - Howard Beach to JFK Terminal 5)

Deeper Sunset

Happy to get away!

Muy emocionante por Puerto Rico!

Adios!

I will continue blogging about my Isla del Encanto trip in the following posts, so stay tuned! By the way, if you have any questions about our trip, including what services we used, and what places we recommend, I'd love to share my two cents with you!

Xo, 

Haerina