So, the team at docstoc had some AWESOME news to share from Yahoo, VentureBeat, and Mashable

Here is our official docstoc Press Release

Today was a crazy day, but just wanted to give a Shout-out to all of the docstoc Team, our users/friends, interns (Jorgensen, if you’re reading this), as you’ve all contributed to where docstoc is now. (Okay, I’ll try to be less cheesy and more jaded in the next couple of posts)

Yesterday was the Celebrate LA festival to honor 18,000 Volunteers in LA County who each received a Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

I was among the 18,000 who received a Volunteer award. Martha Spinx (amazing woman) nominated me from my work with Senior citizens at the St. Barnabas Senior Center in East LA. I’m a big believer in donating time to others, especially with charities and non-profits, but I definitely think I could do more.

My late grandmother never got to have a place such as St. Barnabas where she could go and hang out with other Senior citizens, use the Internet cafe, have access to counseling, legal aid, adult healthcare and more… So, this place has a special place in my heart.

So, I was reading this NY Times article called, Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League Skills Its about how these hard-core, driven young Korean students study/are in class for up to 15 hours per day, leaving little time for social activities/interaction and basically just being drilled in memorizing, studying and more studying.

I’m actually Korean-American and was born/raised in the U.S. and I am very familiar with the high scholarly expectations of Korean parents for their children. Myself, along with many of my Korean-American friends went to regular school, Korean language school on Saturday mornings and an enrichment academy on Saturday afternoons. (This is where you study extra classes in Literature, Math, and do PSAT/SAT Prep… )
Add in regular school and extracurricular activities and you’re basically a robot. Granted, its getting harder than ever to be accepted to the top, elite Ivy League Universities, but just getting a Harvard degree doesn’t guarantee you anything.

I know various students from my Korean-American community who went to top Ivy League Universities so that they could please their parents, and then they graduated and were like…
What the hell am I going to do with my life? I don’t even know what I want to do.

Reading this article brought up a ton of memories about my middle/high school years (Prime nerd years) where I just studied without even thinking about things like…
1) What do I want to do?
2) What do I like to do?
3) I suck at math. Should I become an engineer? (No, you shouldn’t)

As a child of immigrants, I, along with others, work hard so we can eventually get that great job, and then take care of our parents. Its a different kind of weight on your shoulders because you don’t want your aging parents to continue to work at the dry-cleaners/grocery store/Mom and Pop shop.
You become an adult at a younger age.

I guess the point is that you have to figure out your passion and then you’ll want to work your ass off. I spent WAY too much time studying subjects that I wasn’t interested in, memorizing tons of text that I don’t remember. I wish I could tell all those parents who want their kids to ace the SAT’s, go to Harvard/Yale/Stanford, become a _____________, and make a ton of money, that
1) Their kids aren’t robots
2) Let them be teenagers
3) Don’t try to live through them.
4) Accept them for who they are.

Okay, my rant is over.

Hello my awesome readers!
I’ve decided to start an interview series about people, entrepreneurs, desk jockeys, creative types, anyone really who works to pay the bills, but who also have other creative aspirations.

First up is Grace Chon, an LA pet photographer , who is originally from the East Coast. (She and I went to summer camp together!!)
Here is her Shine Pet Photos blog, as well, that entails the trials and tribulations of running a successful pet photography business while juggling the demands of a busy career in advertising.

Tell the readers of “Girl at a Startup” a little bit about yourself.
I love animals — I coo over puppies and dogs the way most women coo over babies. Actually, my biological puppy clock started ticking ages ago while my baby clock has yet to get in gear! Like a lot of animal lovers, I thought I was going to be a vet for most of my life. I even graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, worked as an intern at the Philadelphia Zoo, and even worked in the Emergency Room of the famous University of Pennsylvania Animal Hospital. (Carrying body bags down to the basement — NOT FUN!) I eventually decided to pursue my passion for creativity and design, and went to grad school at The Academy of Art in San Francisco.

What is your day job?
I’m an art director at Deutsch LA. That means I work with my copywriting partner to come up with ideas for commercials, billboards, print, online, and more. As the art director, I work on the look and feel of our ads, and collaborate with photographers, illustrators, directors, and designers to bring our vision to life. Some clients I’ve worked for past and present include Saturn Cars, Panda Express, eBay Motors, Shutterfly, Lexar, and Domaine Chandon.

How did you get involved in Pet photography?
I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t seriously start dabbling in pet photography until I moved to LA in 2006. My roommate at the time had 2 dogs, and I took photos of them all the time. I even had photos of them at work, which my coworkers were always asking questions about — like “How did you take those?” or “What camera did you use?” I was just using a little Canon Elph point and shoot at the time, but it was really cool to get such positive feedback.

When did you decide to make the foray into pet photography considering your heavy workload? How did you do it?
Eventually, I upgraded to a Canon DSLR and started taking head shots of homeless dogs for a rescue group in Los Angles called The Pawd Squad. The feedback I was receiving on my photography was phenomenal, so I decided to turn my hobby into a side business. I launched Shine Pet Photos in February 2008. Advertising has notoriously awful work hours, but I squeezed in time to create my business anytime I could — early in the morning before work, at night after work, and on the weekends. Luckily because of my background in advertising and design, I was able to create my logo, my website, my brochures, and my business cards by myself.

You’re basically a successful woman entrepreneur. Any tips or suggestions?
Well I’m not quite a successful woman entrepreneur yet, but I do hope to be someday! Donny Deutsch of “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” on MSNBC, is also the chairman of the agency I work at. He once came to talk to us and one thing he said really stood out to me — “Follow your passion, and success will eventually catch up to it.” If you do what you truly love and are passionate about, you’ll end up with something really special. And people will take notice. That said, my other greatest piece of advice is find your own voice and be true to it. You can’t be TRULY passionate about something when you’re not being true to your own voice. If you try to launch a new business or concept that’s mimicking someone else’s voice, you’ll only be playing catch up for the rest of your career.

You’re someone who took a chance and are starting to see the fruits of your labor. One last bit of advice or inspirational thought?
This is so freaking cheesy but the mantra I tell myself every day is “You have to dream big, to win big!” (I also imagine Tony Robbins’ big head as I say this 10 times fast, in front of the mirror pumping my arms back and forth. Ummm sorry. Lame Judy Blume reference.) Seriously though, reach for the sky and you might be surprised at what you end up grabbing. Also — work your ass off. Trust me, hard work pays off. Hello, Horatio Alger!

Considering the recent state of the economy, any tips on budgeting, cutting costs?
Well, I can only speak from a small business perspective but basically — don’t spend money you don’t have. And as advertising can take up a huge chunk of your budget, be smart about what kind of advertising you’re doing and where.

And…what’s next for Miss LA Pet Photographer??
Right now I’m working on a few book proposal ideas. And I’m in the processing of launching yet another side business, which brings my love for animals and good design back together a little closer than photography does. We’ll see what happens!

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to answer these questions, and again, if you need gorgeous pics of your pets taken, call Grace!!

Businessweek’s List of Twentysomething Entrepreneurs

My two favorites on this list are the ever-popular Stumbleupon.com, started by Garrett Camp, and Mint.com, started by Aaron Patzer

Before I became a “Stumbler,” I would just bookmark my favorite sites, but this site allowed me to read reviews of sites from people all across the world. You can send each other funny web pages and the latest news postings.

I’m a bit new to Mint.com but its becoming QUITE USEFUL!!! I’m all about budgeting these days, as are many other people. Mint helps you to get a comprehensive look at your spending as in…

1) Did I really spend THAT much at Starbucks last month?
2) Drinks were how much??
3) Um… Overdraft fees!!

Useful web tools are always welcome.

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1579178&vid=201706

This is MTV’s MADE…where this 16 year old kid named Colin a.k.a. Colt 45 wants to be “MADE” into a rapper. His coach is Talib Kweli and this show was ridiculously funny. I was actually really impressed by Colt b/c he didn’t care what the other kids’ at his school thought about his desire to rap at his school.

The best part is his parents’ expressions when he tells them that he wants to rap at school:

COLT’s DAD: I think he has a better chance at becoming a ballerina. LOL!!

My former boss and good friend, Christian Bruun, curated this exhibit entitled, “After the Flood: Building on Higher Ground,” at the Architecture and Design Museum. It explores the environmental and urban history of New Orleans and the effects of Katrina, as well as proposals for replacement housing and Redevelopment. It will be in LA from April 18-June 27.

One of the unique pieces of this exhibit is the “Pink House” (Part of Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” Foundation) that’s in front the museum to remind everyone of the thousands left homeless by Katrina as well as the need for continued reconstruction in New Orleans.

A great exhibit with though-evoking pictures and designs. Christian, I’m so proud of you!!!

I’ve spoken about my love of hip hop songs and karaoke. When the two are merged, its madness. Perhaps its my childhood working at my parents’ urban clothing store in West Philly where NWA would be blasting from the speakers.

This past Wednesday, I dragged my friend to a local sports bar, Big Wangs, and proceeded to perform, “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre and Eminem. Yeah, um, everyone was like…What is this Asian girl doing?
It was GREAT! haha… At the end of the song, I took the mike and said, “Um,  you should also upload your documents.”

Just kidding.  If I did that, people would’ve thrown their hot wings at me, for sure.

Monthly Internet Bill $190.23

Monthly Amount spent on Diet Mountain Dew $47.45

Monthly number of string cheese sticks consumed- More than 100

Monthly Ounces of coffee beverages consumed- Too lazy to count, but it’s a lot (Its mostly me, Alon, and Jorgensen)

Running a kick-ass start-up- Priceless