Something happened yesterday that made me think a lot.

I was trying to download iWork using a torrent link that my friend sent via skype and I accidentally clicked on a link that I shouldn’t have clicked on. Malware spread all over my computer, putting porn ads all over wikipedia and pandora and my browser’s security alert went on whenever I navigated to a new website. 

So I decided to ask the IT specialist at my company for help. We were trying every means possible to get rid of it and none of them worked. The specialist, also a fellow Christian, is a really good friend of mine. He’s very smart, genuine, and personable. He’s progressive too; he used to encourage me to keep on travelling and working in different countries. Growing up and spending his entire life in the endearingly peaceful Lancaster, he thinks that a strong sense of local community can do everything but liberate the mind of the youth, which is true.

Back to the malware story. My dear IT specialist friend glanced over my browser and saw the tabs I bookmarked, which said BX Gay Business and Marketing, Openly Gay Marriage, Advocate.com, NewNowNext. They are all the sources I use for the research I’m doing on the business and politics of gay identity. He asked if they were there before, suspecting that the malware caused that. I said no. He asked me again several times - Are you sure you know all of them? - and I went “Yes, they are as trustable as the Huffington Post.” Still a little perplexed, my friend said ok and kept on with his computer diagnosing job.

It upset me a lot. Since when did people associate websites that say Gay on their titles with bad contents without even looking at their full names (and definitely not looking into the websites to see what they have). This is not to attack my friend and his concern - he was just caring about me and the safety of my dear MacPro which never got infected by malware/virus before. However, his comments rang a bell deep inside of me, telling me that no matter how much we talk about the issue of discrimination against non-heterosexual people, it’s still a long way to go until the segregation mentality goes away. 

It’s only 2 weeks in and I’m already buried in work. I’m one step closer to be a freaked-out-about-nothing senior, I guess… But anyways, today was a good day and I want to keep a record of it.

Started my internship at Stoner Bunting Gift Cards. Man I never thought so much work would actually go into such a small thing and how much power it actually held. But apparently here we have a division dedicated to Gift Cards services and it’s an area full of potentials. The first day was not bad; I researched our clients like any newbie would do on their first couple days and found that almost all online shopping websites had a small tab called “Gift Cards” that I never knew existed. But because this tab is always so hard to find (except for Barns and Noble), sometimes impossible to find (like Neiman Marcus), it makes me wonder how the entire Gift Cards industry is utilizing its potential.

I’m working on this project/paper for my senior seminar. The class is about Gender in Advertising. I’m thinking of doing a research on Ads that target the homosexual community. I’m wayyy to obsessed with my gay friends I think they’re the coolest people on earth. Can’t wait to tell them what I find.

I haven’t done much other than work. I am debating whether to go to Mardi Gras in Feb or wait until Springbreak and go to the beach somewhere. Just bought the airticket for mom to come over for my graduation so I’m kinda on a tight budget. Who knows if I change my mind at the last minute, which, unfortunately, happens to 90% of my awesome decisions. If it takes a last minute freak-out for a decision to be really awesome, so be it.