Latest Entries
Epiphany
13 February '10 by nate, under General.
After talking to my friend and professor, Amresh Kumar, I have found a new aspect on life.
I am extremely excited about ‘buying freedom’ by being my own boss or entrepreneur. I am not sure how exactly, but according to studies, the creative switch is flipped after your goals are realized. My goal is to be financially independent by the age 30 or in 8 years.
Did the people in 1910, 1920’s know what advancements and wealth the automobile would bring? Absolutely not.
The internet has been used regularly for at most 10-15 years, or as quoted ‘5000 days old.’ Meaning that everything we rely on in our lives, everything you purchase, read, sell, etc…, which is nearly now all internet based, is only 5000 days old and the window for opportunity to create businesses such as twitter, facebook, myspace, and google is available to be seized.
After stating the goal, the solutions are to be found.
Time to get to work.
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2010 Update
30 January '10 by nate, under General.
It’s been a bit since I updated my blog and it seems about time I do so!
The past semester was my hardest semester I’ve had at SU and I am very glad it is over. I am now on my way of coasting out of college and on the track to finding full-time employment!
In a way of finding full-time employment, I have just updated the portfolio page of my website so that I can pursue more web-design work at more firms. My portfolio can be found at http://www.natechappell.com/portfolio/. I am also working on a new fresher design for my blog, as I am tired of it already!
Travel
I have not been able to go back to Europe, (sorry friends in the UK!), but I will be going to the Dominican Republic in March! Instead of East, I’ll be going South about the same distance. I am excited about the trip and am hoping I’ll be able to stop over in Haiti for a day or so, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to travel around much.
Well, this is a quick update, but I’ll be sure to post when something more-interesting occurs.
Oh, and Happy New Year!
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Goldman Sachs
06 October '09 by nate, under General.
I made it to the next round of interviews, which was on October 1st. An email informed me that I would have 4-7 rounds of interviews, however I only had three which brings me to an overall total of 4 rounds.
However, yesterday, I received a call from GS and they notified me that I will not be moving on to the next round.
Time to look to the next job.
As for the LSATs, I took them on September 26th, and I will find out how I did sometime in the next two weeks.
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Back in the U.S.A.
25 September '09 by nate, under General.
Hello,
I have been back in the States for just over three weeks and life has been very busy.
I moved into my new apartment the day after flying in and on my way back, I was pulled over for speeding. I was driving 68mph in a 55mph zone, or 13mph over. This was my first time being pulled over and the police officer still issued me a ticket. He said he was doing me a favor by giving me a ticket for “failure to follow traffic device” rather than speeding. This way, I would not have any points on my license and it would be a lesser fine. Regardless, the fine was still $109.
Classes started on August 31st and I have been extremely busy. In addition to have my senior finance classes, I have been studying for the LSATs (Law school entrance exam) and applying for jobs. I was able to get an interview with Goldman Sachs, the leader in the finance industry, in NYC.
Goldman
I have never studied more in my life for an interview than I have with GS. I spoke with a few alumni in regards to what I should expect, study, and practice. I studied every day because I will be competing with Ivy League students with massive connections. Therefor, I need to be able to sell myself flawlessly and without one error.
I had my interview yesterday and everything seemed to go very well. Regardless of what happens, I am satisfied with the interview and I know that I could not have done anything better. I will find out if I am selected to interview in round two sometime this week. The decision is out of my hand and I have played my cards as well as I possibly could.
LSATS
I am continuing to study for the LSATs and my test in next Saturday, the 26th – So I will be studying very hard the next week to prepare.
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Nice, Bruges, and Amiens
04 August '09 by nate, under General, Photography, Travel.
Hello,
I’ve been putting off updating because I’ve been quite busy the past two weeks.
So what have I been up to? – Well, on July 23rd, I started my vacation by sitting in Gatwick airport for about four hours waiting for my delayed flight. I arrived in Nice, France around 9:30pm and was able to check into my hostel in time. Nice was absolutely amazing and I believe it is possibly my new favourite place in Europe. Nice is the heart of the French Rivera, right along the coast of the Mediterranean. The water was clean, clear, and quite warm. For the entire week, I was a complete beach bum. I would lie out in the sun for about four to five hours each day trying feverishly to remove my ghostly white appearance in comparison to everyone else. I did manage to tan and not burn, however still nowhere near the level of the indigenous people.
Besides the beach, I travelled to Monte Carlo, Monaco, which is a small principality in the south of France near Nice, much like Vatican City, but quite opposite in purpose. Monte Carlo is a tax haven for very wealthy individuals and a gambling centre.
I also visited Cannes, which is renowned for the Cannes Film Festival that debuts many independent films as well as films produced by prominent studios. I went to the beach at Cannes, which was sand, rather than the stones of Nice, but the water was not nearly as clean.
I was able to meet many people and make new friends while I was in France. I travelled by myself but met many Canadians, New Zealanders (Kiwis), Russians, Aussie’s, and a few English people. Once I was in Nice, I did not go anywhere alone, I was accompanied by other young travellers and holiday makers the entire trip. Some of the people I met in Nice also live near or in London, so I am planning on meeting up with them before I return to the US.
In Nice, I visited my first casino. I never gambled before nor did I have any desire, but around 11pm on a Monday night, I entered the Casino with two Kiwis and we decided to play blackjack. I bought €20 worth of chips and sat down at a table. The minimum bid was €10, so I could only sustain a loss twice in a row. First hand, I had 19, but the dealer won with 20. I was down to €10. I decided, if I lost it all, I wouldn’t be extremely disappointed since it was a new experience and quite exciting. Next hand, I won with 20, dealer 19. So I was back to 20€. I won the next hand, up to €30, but lost the next, so I was back to par with €20. At this point my Kiwi friend, Dan, was up to €40 and decided to walk away with doubling his money. I decided I would either lose it all, or stop at €40. Two hands later, I was up to €40 and out the door. For twenty minutes of entertainment and excitement, I doubled my money and €20 is worth nearly $30!
I returned to London the next day, Tuesday, and went from beautiful 28C or 82F weather full of sunshine in France to 20C or 68F full with grey skies and rain. Luckily, my time in England was short lived because on Saturday, I drove to Bruges, Belgium with my friend, Graham, from work.
We left my flat at 4:30am and drove to Folkestone, where we took the Eurotunnel to Calais, France, and then continued our drive to Bruges, Belgium, about 100km (60m) away. Bruges is a really interesting place. The entire city is surrounded by a moat or canal which was for protection back in the middle ages and all the roads were ancient cobblestones. Graham and I walked around for a bit, went on a boat tour, and bought some chocolates for our friends at work as well as some for our mums (It’s no longer a surprise mom, your gift is Belgium chocolate). Afterwards, we went to a pub to try the famous Belgium beer. I tried Trappist beer, which originally was brewed by Monks in a Trappist Monastery. For being monks, I was surprised that the beer was as strong as it was, with 9.5% alcohol content! I also watched an American street performer escape from a straightjacket while wrapped in chains and locked. I never saw anything like this before in person and it seemed very real because he even had a Bruges police officer secure him in the straightjacket and chains. It was one of the best street performances I have ever seen.
Graham and I only spent one night in Bruges and we were planning on going back to France to visit the Normandy WWII battlefields, but we realized Normandy was too far away for us to visit in order to return in time to Calais and catch the train back to England. So, we stopped at Amiens, France to visit and for lunch. Amiens is a small city north of Paris and is home to one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals. I took a few pictures of the sculptures and the architecture. It was quite fascinating and it must have taken hundreds of years to complete (even with slave labor). After lunch and touring the cathedral, we returned to the car and headed back to England.
Now my adventures are at a standstill until August 22nd, when I will fly back to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (for my third time) to meet up with my brother, Justin, and my sister-in-law, Danielle, as they visit. I will be in The Netherlands until the 25th, when I return to England for nearly 24 hours and then fly back to Philadelphia. Only 13 days left of work and 21 until I’m back in America. It’s been a great trip so far and I will miss it, but I have much to do and I am looking forward to my senior year of University which starts on August 31st!
*Photos coming soon.
