one of six: work and business

Upon graduating from Berkeley I thought… “Now that I have my degree I will get the job of my dreams and begin my career doing something I always wanted to do.” WRONG! This is not how my happy ending played out; actually it wasn’t happy at all. For the most part, this past year was a hard one when it came to finding a job. The interviewing process is so daunting and to top it off the job market was at its worst due to the economy. Luckily, I found a job early on with a consulting firm that worked in the financial industry. At the beginning I thought: “great, this is something I really want to do” and “this job will open doors to many more opportunities for my career”. I was determined to give 200% to this job and prove that I could succeed in corporate America.

Quickly…within the first 2 weeks, I found out that not only had I signed up to work for a corrupt man, but I had sold my soul to the devil! It was a place where the owner treated everyone with so much disrespect. And believe me, I was not the only unhappy employee, everyone there was miserable! He had a turnover rate of 100%. I had read all the bad reviews about him and his company online, but I figured it was from a few disgruntled ex-employees. After working there, I realized those reviews were all true. Regardless of how we were treated, I decided to stay and prove to myself that I could do it. However, with each day that went by I felt as if my self esteem was being sucked out of my bones. I believed less and less in me as a strong individual and I lost all the hope I had in myself. What saddened me the most was noticing that all my dreams had vanished away, they were converted into dust and not one single particle was left for me to hold on to. I was experiencing my first “abusive relationship” and I had created a nasty dependency on my abuser.

My ambitious side is what kept me pushing forward, I knew I could handle the job; however, I did not realize what I was doing to myself in that miserable nightmare until the day I came home crying. I cried for 4 hours straight, scaring my husband and my kitties. I could not talk, I could not eat, and all I could do was cry, cry and cry. I had hit rock bottom and my body felt too weak to even get up. Finally when I calmed down, Tony said to me “I knew you were miserable at your job but I never knew it was this bad.” He reminded me that I did not have to work for that company, that it was ok to resign and find a job where I was happy. Thankfully I had him (the positive Tony…my rock). I was one of the lucky ones at that company who was married and did not have to rely on only one income to survive. This cushion provided me with the opportunity to quit my job so I could find a better place to start my career. That night I decided to quit (however I still waited out till the end of the month).

Six months went by from the day I quit to the day I started at my new job…yes, it took me that long to find a job. At first I took some time to heal. I literally had hit rock bottom and had lost all my motivation and drive (so unlike me!). But with time I taught myself how to walk again with my head high. During this time I worked part time in a few place helping out friends during the busy season. It wasn’t until February that I felt more like myself again and decided I was going to look for a job in full force.

Terrie, my mother-in-law, said “once it rains it pours.” She couldn’t be more right! All of a sudden I was contacted for interviews and was even given multiple offers. This time I had the power to make the decision on which job to take. At this moment in my life I realized that what mattered most to me was the work environment. My priorities had changed and I was looking for a job that offered me work-life balance (I was working 60+ hours at the consulting firm). I was looking for a company that believes in its employees and one that treats them with respect and sees them as an integral part of the engine that drives its success. I also did not let my ambitious side make the decision on what job to take; instead, I decided to take the job that was best for my family because I no longer was one, therefore I took the job that was best for me and Tony. I decided to work for MedAmerica. I did not disclose what company I was with in the past, but I will disclose the name of the company I am working for because I am so proud of it. I love my company and I love my job. It is literally one of the best places to work for in the Bay Area, literally! The people there are amazing and they all support each other in every way possible. I have amazing benefits and my pay is decent ($8,000 more than my last job and only working 40 hours a week). It is in the healthcare industry which is not what I had ever envisioned, but I am learning so much and I am developing personally and professionally.

What is best about my job is that I do not have to stress about it after hours, I am free to come home and relax and enjoy my afternoons. Working there quickly made me regain my strength and I became the person that I once was. Soon after starting to work for MedAmerica I decided to begin my own company with my sister Vicky and my Friend Radha. Within two months we launched a Wedding Photography business, Alarcon Murakami Photography. We applied for a business license, a business loan and we dove into this great adventure as new business owners (more on this on a later post). I was dreaming again and my go-getter personality was back on full force!

Looking back at this past year I have realized that my experience with the consulting firm was not that bad…it was actually a great learning experience. It taught me what to value and what to look for in a job. It made me realize that I did not have to settle for less because I am worth so much more. It helped me understand that when searching for a job it is not just the company interviewing me but also me interviewing the company. And the best of all, it taught me how not to run a business and what kind of leader I do not want to be. I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but never imagined it would be this great. I guess things always happen for a reason; maybe I just needed a wakeup call…

six for one

In the past year that I disappeared from my blog many things happened. I always had the crazy desire to blog about it but could never find time to sit down and do so. However, I always kept photographic records of it because I knew one day I would finally go back and record all those wonderful memories. So here goes my attempt to recap my last year.

I have to say that my last year was a very interesting one. There were lots of challenges, life changing experiences, travel, excitement and moments were I had to adjust to what my life was becoming or had become. Of course, everyone goes through challenging years, but mine happened to be this past one. However, with all the hard times, many good things came out of it and it was all worth it because it was such a learning experience. I will break this down into several different blogs and categorize it as such:

Work and business
Travel
Love and married life
Family growth
Special projects
Personal growth

So stay tuned to get a recap of one year in 6 posts...

Sometimes life feels like you are walking into a vast ocean of the unknown...never knowing what lies beneath the tempting waters.

honeymoon in new zealand: matakana region

This time last year I was at my honeymoon with my wonderful husband in New Zealand. Yes, we just recently celebrated our one year anniversary on June 6th. This past year was such a transition year for me, but more on that later…I have so much to update but not on this post. Back to New Zealand…I realized that I never finished my post on my honeymoon to that wonderful country of delicious food, amazing wine, friendly smiles and green galore! So a year later, I will put the effort (and it is quite the effort!) to finish my post on one of my favorite trips ever.

The second part of my New Zealand Honeymoon was to the Matakana region, north of Auckland. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called Waimana Point Lodge owned by Gloria and Geoff. This place is incredible, and the views leave you nothing but speechless! Luckily for us we had the whole place to ourselves because of the low season. Every morning we did not fail to watch the sunrise; it was so spectacular, you just couldn’t miss it. Our deck led to the backyard which was green pastures that faded into the blue marine of the sea. Similar to Breakfast on the Beach, every afternoon we would meet with Gloria and Geoff for wine, canapés and a great conversation. It was so great getting to meet them both and to hear about Geoff’s travels through Latin America.

While at the Matakana Region we got to explore a few of the wineries around that were as amazing as the ones in Waihike Island. Here are my favorites:

Heron’s Flight Vineyard Café – Tony and I had Lunch at this winery and it was AMAZING! Just can’t believe that every place in New Zealand that we went to did not fail to impress us. The décor of this place was one of my favorite, Spanish-Mediterranean architecture with a hint of Rustic touches…my favorite! At this place we had an amazing Sangiovese (which means ‘Blood of Jupiter’ in Italian).

Brick Bay Wines – This place is amazing for taking a hike and finishing off with a good glass of wine. The place has an amazing trail through a sculpture garden with very modern outdoor art. After the hike you can enjoy a glass of fine wine at the Glass House…and this wine tasting room is really made all out of glass! From this very modern building you can relax as you look out into the vineyard while enjoying the zenful atmosphere of this wonderful place.

Ransom Wines – This winery is a MUST! First of all they have the most amazing cheese platter I have ever had in my whole life. The presentation is exquisite; it comes with a variety of things, and I mean lots of yummy things to try. It was soooo good! Second, their wine was lovely. Third, they have a wonderful story that brings chills to my body every time I tell it…a little too long for this post but it has to do with their Carmenere wine. We ended up buying a bottle of this and this is the bottle we opened as we celebrated our one year anniversary.

Lastly, we visited The Vintry, Wine Centre and Lounge Bar located in the Matakana Village Complex. This is a wonderful wine bar that gives tastings of wines only found in the Matakana Region. Because of the low season, the owner sat with us and gave us a private lesson about wine and the history of the area. The service we got here was impeccable. We learned so much, as well as tried lots of different wines. The tasting was very different from other places; the bottles were wrapped in a paper bags to make sure that we did not get influenced from the label. The funny thing is that Tony and I liked the cheapest wine and the most expensive one. Some of the labels that we liked were Hinchco Family Vineyard and Hyperion.

We ended our trip in Auckland at the Great Ponsonby Bed and Breakfast – small rooms but very affordable and cute place. Tony and I explored the city and ended up at an excellent little bar…I think it was called Bonita, where we had some amazing sangria and continued dreaming about our future plans.

Honestly, traveling with my husband is one of the best things in the world! We are such a good travel unit, we always have fun and we enjoy every moment we spend together. I am so lucky to have him in my life and I am so proud to be his wife!

my first reupholstery project

I have been trying to get back in touch with my creative spirit lately and decided to work on some fun projects. The first one has been to reupholster a chair. It took me a while to find the chair but I eventually found one that was in perfect condition on craigslist. It turns out that it wasn't the easiest chair to begin my first reupholstery project. However, I managed to complete the project and I think it looks beautiful. I bought some amazing fabric that was way over my budget! But it was sooooo irresistible and I am glad I did because the chair looks amazing!

I am now looking a for a good home for my chair. It is such a great accent piece, I can imagine billions of ways to make it work in either a room or a living room. Let me know if you are interested...

here is the before pictures:


Tito claimed the chair as soon as he saw it, but he only got to enjoy it for one day because as soon as I started working on it, it was off limits to kitties.

...and here is the completed chair...believe me, it is so comfy!

fix my room!!!

I love decorating and anything interior design...actually anything that involves creativity and inspiration. This past week my good friend Dalena asked me to help her decorate her room. She was temporarily sleeping on a futon cover while she waited to purchase her new bed frame at ikea. I agreed to help her if she chose not to purchase the ikea frame. She hesitantly asked..."what do you have in mind?" I told her..."well, I would like to stretch your money more...I think we can get much more than just a bed frame." Her large room was pretty empty and she was in need of more furniture. She agreed and together we jumped on the crazy wagon and we focused on our mission to find the best deals. I thought it would take us more like 2 to three weeks to finish the room, however, since we were both so into this project, we finished it in two working days...lets say three days.

Here is her room before, pretty much that was all you could find in her room.

And here is the room after (we still have to add a couple of accents, but for the most part it is done). We recycled what ever we had and although not all the colors matched, somehow it came together so well. I bet she now feels like a brand new woman in her new room! I am so happy for her.

Pictures taken with my iphone.