Boffin Beauty

Corset Story Review

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

A few months back I ordered a few corsets from Corset Story. The engineer and tomboy in me debated how to write this review since showing the product is key with a clothing review. It is really hard to take a picture of yourself in decorative corset without looking ultra-feminfied.

I took advantage of their seemingly never-ending 3 for 2 sale. I bought 3 steel boned corsets for $145.00 shipping included, I prefer steel boned corsets as they keep their shape better and if you're a plus size gal I really think they're the best type.

defective corset T_T

They came super-fast, in about a week from London with standard shipping. I wonder if they came from the Long Beach warehouse though Corset Story (CS) says on returns go there. The corsets are beautiful and I set to trying them on, all with tying a not just a little tight. The long brocade broke, well the boning crack when I sat down. I was sad. The others were completely fine. So then I had to email CS about the issue. I think there may have been a little confusion on the issue. I felt the boning before and felt it was defective (that 1 in 1000 type). The boning didn't poke at my skin, so I was thinking I was just going to have to keep the broken corset and try and fix it. It took about 2 weeks to clear all the confusion up but in the end they sent me a brand new corset. I didn't even have to waste my money shipping the broken one back. So yes now I have 2 corsets of the exact style, one of which is broken. I ended up being able to fix it so it one poke through to my skin and so I plan on wearing that one when I'm going out and about and the correct one for formal occasions as I had planned for this particular corset.

16" silver and black,

The quality is very good for the money, especially with the sale. The three corsets I purchased have 3 distinct shapes. So far I've been wearing the silver and black the most. The one I bought as my "might as well" turned out to be my favourite, the oriental design one. It's beige and pink and gives a very 1950's style figure, near my natural bone structure. The 18" red brocade is more like my actual shape and it's long for me (5'3" or 162cm) I have a long torso so I wouldn't reccomend it for most short ladies. I'm going to have to get some longer lacing for this. They use the same length lacing for the corsets it seems and this could've definitely used some more.

15" Oriental Design.

Overall I'd say Corset Story is great quality at such an affordable price, so you should definitely check it out! http://www.corset-story.com/

Apple Dumplings Classic Version

2012-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

It had been a long time since I had apple dumplings. There a southern child hood treat of mine. I had a relative once who made them at every family gathering in Charlotte. That was in the 90's and the Hungry Jack brand had a version of Cinnamon Biscuits that made this recipe ridiculous easily. Honestly all you need was to season the apples and use the reserve liquid on top of the dumplings. That was the version I'm used to so I embed my biscuits with cinamon and it makes a difference. I call this the classic version since I have another version that I use crescent roll dough with. You can also find this recipe on my account at Recipefy

Picture courtesy of Pilsbury website

Prep. Time ĺ 20 min
Cook Time ĺ 35 min
Level ĺ Easy

Ingredients for 8 dumplings
1(16.3-oz.) can Pillsbury Grands! Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
8teaspoons butter or margarine
4small to medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and halved
3/4cup brown sugar
3/4cup water
1/2cup butter or margarine, melted
1teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon (separated)
3 tsp ground ginger (separated)
juice of 2 lemons

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
Juice of 1 lemon over apple halves
Sprinkle apple halves with 1 tsp of ginger and 1 tbsp of cinnamon
Stir to coat evenly
2. Split Biscuit in half (so you have 2 circular pieces
Lightly powder each biscuit with a bit of cinamon
Flatten biscuits with rolling pin. (or with your hands as one stretches pizza crust.
Place 1/4 teaspoon butter in the core area of each apple half. Wrap each biscuit around 1 apple half. Place seam side down in greased baking dish.
Combine sugar, water,remaining ginger cinnamon, ginger melted butter and vanilla; pour over dumplings.
Bake uncovered at 350F. for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and apples are t

Tea at the Biltmore

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

I contemplated for weeks what to get the ladies in my family for Christmas. Finally it hit me. We decided to spend a few days after Christmas in Asheville, North Carolina which is one of my favourite places in the world. It's so serene and ecletic full of natural beauty, high class, and eclecticism. I decided to give them a tea at the inn on the Biltmore Estate. It was so lovely! One amusing note was the simple fact it was a tea. My sister-aunt, thinking it would be light tea was planning on order something for afters but we had a plenty. We each got our choice of teas ( I had the mayan chocolate truffle) it was decadent and wonderful. A savoury plate, a champagne cocktail, and ginormous tray of sweet delights. The Inn was lovely as always. I hope that one day this will become an annual tradition of ours.

You can check it out on the mixbook I made for the occasion

| Learn About Mixbook Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

After much contemplation, it was hard because I give myself a 3 resolution limit.

Get a full time permanent position in the engineering/energy efficiency/ renewable/etc. field
Learn to knit a pair of thigh high socks
Pass the October EIT exam

2011 Resolutions How did I do?

2012-01-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Blogging is a powerful tool. Normally aside from the obvious(lose weight) I forget my resolutions but having them up in the cloud makes it hard to forget.Around this time last year I posted

Get a full time job, constantly updating hirejasmine.com, refining my CAD skills, networking and going to any job fair I can within a 50 mile radius. updates on Wednesday Well I decided to join a Americorps again so I do in fact work full time and I worked as lab assistant at Laney College. Not exactly the pay I desired but hey at least it keeps a roof over my head some food on the table and help me keep goal number 4.
Get out of the plus-sizes, reduce alcohol and sugar consumption, exercise 60 minutes a day 3-5 times a week. Avoid synthetic foods. updates on Monday. Well I'm still a plus size gal. But I did lose 15lbs this year. The quest continues. I did better diet-wise. HFCS is but a memory. I contemplate getting rid of artificial colours but for the time being I will just try to eat more healthfully.
update the blog more. By updating on my year resolutions on a weekly basis. Well I posted 17 more posts this year vs. last. making progress.
Stay in California, by completing goal 1 Done! And can you believe that now I am highly considering moving back to the Deep South especially North Carolina

I haven't firmed on my 2012 resolutions yet. I'm contemplating just making it simple. My goal is to have guidelines down by the 5th.

2011 in Review

2012-01-01T18:29:00.001-08:00

2011 in review on Prezi

Five of my fave online tools of 2011

2011-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

This was another year of discovering great online tools or finally having enough of life that these online tools were useful to me.

Task Management: Manymoon
I started using Manymoon a few months ago. Being a volunteer coordinator at GRID (like most positions at GRID) means lots of tasks. Some are repitious, some are new, but there always alot of them. It was getting hard to keep up and remember what I did, need to do, and look into. I tried Asana, which I would probably like if I was more plugged in (smart phone, tablet, etc.). Manymoon works great for me because it intergrates with my Google App/Gmail account. I can link Google Docs to Tasks. The milestone function is great for "mini-projects" and the email that it sends me everyday with "To-do, past due, upcoming" is in a perfect format to print and have in hand.

Streaming Music: Spotify
Don't get me wrong, my Shostakovich Pandora station is still tops but being able to have access to such a ginormous amount of music and create custom playlists and include my music!? That's just plain awesome. Google Music, just never "grabbed" me. I've had it since the summer and may have used it a dozen times. Spotify's and my friend's list are great too. I will admit I don't explore new music much, unless there's an ad that grabs me. All-in-all spotify is great.

Facebook App: The Sims Social
Don't judge me. The Sims is one of my favourite games so when they brought it to Facebook(FB) I was worried it would be lame. I was pleasantly suprised. The play is fun, not overly-addictive, and the social aspect isn't as annoying as I thought it would be. I've played this game more than any other FB game that's been out there. And my custom list on FB makes it simple for me to get my fellow Sims Social friend to help me with quests.

Lifesaver: NextBus (and Google Places Mobile)
Nextbus has saved me countless hours of waiting, wondering when it comes to AC Transit and their whimsical attempt at a schedule. Over in the city, it's a lifesaver as I know next-to-nothing about the SFMuni Bus routes. Anywhere I am I can plug in the bus number, find my stop and see where it's going. Kudos to AC Transit for the new "stop id" numbers which make it that much easier to see when the next bus is. Google Places mobile helps with this too because I can get directions (that also include BART) from my bright (not quite smart) phone, a Motorola i465.

Template Website Creator: Weebly
Gone are the days of geocities, angelfire, and freeservers. I remember a decade ago, no decent computer nerd would use a website creator. We were hand-coding and using Photoshop, etc. Course these days computer nerds have more shiny what with apps, tablets, smartphones, and everyday life. Weebly makes a fantastic looking website in minutes without any html/css knowledge neccesary. For those of you with some web creation know-how, you can fiddle with the CSS or create your own template. Hire Jasmine is proudly made with Weebly, it saved me alot of time since I just customised the CSS one exsisting template. The new features this year make it possible for a different types of pages (splash pages for example) and the new whitelabel service makes it easier for those of you who create weebly sites for your clients. The next site I create for a client will be a weebly site, since I work with non-profits the day may come when they decide to manage the site on their own and weebly will make it easier. Also I can charge lower prices for creating a weebly site versus creating one from scratch.

Honourable mentions: Dropbox, Google Docs(Fusion Tables), IM Creator

TV Liberation-Me TV

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

A dream schedule brought to you be MeTV

For most of the time that I've lived in Cali, I have not had cable. Since I've spent all my time in Cali being poor, it's just not an option for me. Honestly, it's been the best decision I ever made in my (leisure) life.

First, I'm not using my nerdy hustle funds to pay for a service that I may watch a few nights a week. Second, it's made me take the time to discover new forms of visual entertainment and really enjoy my Wii as it's days close to an end. Lastly, I honestly spend much less daylight hours watching tv.

I still "watch tv" mostly in the form of Netflix Streaming for the Wii, Hulu, and DVD backups on my external hard-drive. I have a digital tv and a digital antenna (both gifts from family) that I use to watch baseball and football. Occasionally I bought episodes from iTunes. The only thing really missing from my schedule was some new mix of tv shows I liked.

Enter MeTV the best thing to hit my television since Netflix for the Wii. It's an over the air channel that recently arrived to the Bay Area and it has one of my favourite genres of television: classic television. I found it yesterday morning, watching "The Lucy Show" and "Daniel Boone". Last night I watched Bob Newhart and the Odd Couple, then I went to their website and saw the national schedule, a dream schedule.

This is pretty much the final nail in the "I need Cable" coffin. Now if I could just find a decent spot nearby to watch Monday Night Football, I'd be set.

MeTV is available over the air and on some cable services, check it out at www.metvnetwork.com

Up on the roof

2011-11-22T14:25:00.001-08:00

So I finally made it up to the roof!

This was my 3rd installation with GRID, first as the Volunteer and Training Associate. It was great to get out of Oakland for a bit and head down to San Jose, and yes I know the way.

The volunteers and team leaders I assigned were fantastic, all of GRID's volunteers are so positive and hardworking, and caring. I mentioned that it was my first time on the roof, because it was a one story low-pitch or "less steep" roof. My first installation was a 2 story relatively high pitch and I wasn't "feeling it". I don't have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling :P. And as I learn better how to walk on a roof and use a harness, I'm less nervous. Meanwhile I'm becoming very good at wiring inverters, ^-^.

This system was GRID's first "Smart Mount" system, which in a phrase is "Look Ma, no rails!" which was unique, once the learning curve was conquered it was quite straight-forward and it seemed to go faster. Also it's neat to learn a different type of system.

Good times, good hot wing lunch (^-^) good people, a family gets a PV system.

Til next time,
Jasmine

FE/EIT here I come

2011-11-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

After years of procrastination, I've decided to take the EIT exam. No, really.

I've not the determination to go to grad school full time, honestly I just want to work in engineering before I decide to go into crazy debt for a M.S/M.Eng. And speaking of college debt, my previous educational investment has not even begun to pay off, so why pour more money into this? It's not a boat.

The Fundamental of Engineering/Engineer in Training Exam is a must for my path to being a licensed engineer. Alot of employers seem to be looking for it as well. I didn't take Differential Equations in college being in EET but Calc 3 and a bunch of logic/discrete math. However I think that I will be okay.

I'm planning on taking the exam October 2012. I'm going to enroll in Calc 3 and Diff Eq at Laney College, which may not be the most in depth math classes but I work there and I'm already in the system as a student from Spring of this year.

As far as the afternoon exam I've pretty much decided to betray myself and take the Mechanical Engineering test, it seems more straightforward and sample tests have content that's not lost to memory. I did want to focus on Power engineering, but maybe in the future I could take some graduate level courses in Power engineering. The EE afternoon test seems a bit too computer heavy for me. Also I've been learning more about motors and HVAC pumps and things since working at Laney.

I've borrowed a book from Berkeley library and started some cursory FE Question of Day. Studying for the exam this early has been good because 1) It makes me realise I have a okay chance of passing it in April 2) I want to pass it the first time, so I will take it on October 2012 3)It really is coming back to me, guess I did learn something in college :P

If anybody has any suggestions on books, websites, or if you're interested in starting a study group if you're taking the EIT exam anytime next year, let me know!

Natural Hair, don't care.

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Half-fro!

I realised that inthe 3 years I've had this blog, my hair's never been mentioned. Which isn't such a big deal until youconsider the fact that I've not had my hair chemically straightened (relaxed) for over 10 years. And it seemslike every natural girl has a website/blog/etc.

I never really felt like "the internet" accepted my naturalhair. It's not cute and curly (for youhair-typers like pretty much any natural girl on television or a 3b/c). It'snot afro disco-riffic. (Sometimes you see this natural girl on television, thisis the hair people assume your average black girl has) nor is it naturallystraight.

It's super duper thick type 4 (as for a letter the consensus is 4a/b) , has nearly no curl pattern, except during those brief moments when it'swet but as it dries the curls go away. Honestly if you know what kanekolon is, imagine a bit more texture andthickness and that's my hair. Maybe that's why regular box braids look soawesome on me.

It's really soft though and I love it. There's alot of it too, I call it "ninja hair" It appears about chin length most of the time but the back is about "bra-strap length" and the front is around shoulder length. Major shrinkage. I trim it but I'm trying to grow the back to waist length.

My reasons for "going natural" weren't holistic. I just wanted long hair, I lost my nearly waist long hair to a bad perm when I was 13 and said "I rather have long nappy hair than short straight hair". Also a few chemistry classes made me realise perms weren't for me. I didn't have a big chop, I was 13, southern, and really my long hair was the one thing I liked about myself. If you've seen a picture of me at 13 you could understand this. Ms. Melissa, who braided my hair through my freshmen year of college, would cut a little more each time until there was nothing left but natural hair.

To this day I've never worn my hair out in an afro even if I did it would be more of a half-fro. Half the time it's in braids (with weave, it makes it last longer) or even when it's "loose" I keep it in twists, buns, chignon, ponytails, and french braids. Why?

Because I don't like "big hair" (on me).

Part of this career-oriented, through college I worked in kitchens. Now I'm breaking into the world of engineering/construction. Still having lots of thick hair and not liking "big hair" is no reason to perm one's hair. If you like it relaxed and you know what you're doing, that's cool. My childhood friend (forever!) has relaxed hair and it always looks good. But she knows what she's doing, I however did not. Nor did my mother who alternated between natural hair (she has a gorgeous afro, straight out of the 70's) and a body wave. My sister has the most adorable kinky coils. Mom's genetics tried their best but the "Shepard" won out.

I wrote this post for the girls who do fit any of the "standards" they put out there. It doesn't matter, go natural for whatever reason you want. Wear braids, wigs, shave it off, grow it out, do you thing and I'll do mine.

Steve Jobs (Resquicat in pace)

2011-10-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations."

"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines."

My favourite quotes by Steve Jobs. Thanks for the innovation.

About GRID Alternatives

2011-10-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Since I did this 2 years ago when I did my first year of Americorps, it's only right I give GRID Alternatives the same attention. GRID is awesome and while I love OTX West forevermore, this non-profit is related to my career a bit more. Once again another non-profit found by not 1 but 2 engineers! We are an awesome cut of cloth.

Mission
GRID Alternatives' mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training. We believe making energy choices that are good for the environment can go hand-in-hand with improving the lives of those living in low-income communities. GRID Alternatives works collaboratively with communities and local organizations to identify specific needs and to develop renewable energy solutions that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
Currently, GRID Alternatives' core program is the Solar Affordable Housing Program, where we train and lead community volunteers and job trainees from all walks of life to install solar electric systems with low-income homeowners.

History
GRID Alternatives was founded during the 2001 California energy crisis by Erica Mackie, P.E., and Tim Sears, P.E., two engineering professionals who were implementing large-scale renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for the private sector. The vision that drove them was simple: why is free, clean electricity from the sun only available to big businesses and wealthy environmentalists, when it should be available to everybody? They wanted to develop a model to make this technology practical and accessible for low-income communities that need the savings the most, and where families often live in the shadow of polluting fossil-fuel power plants.Every solar installation is a renewable energy “barn raising” that brings together environmental activists, advocates for low-income communities, green job trainees, community volunteers, and the homeowners themselves to participate in a fun, hands-on project that delivers immediate, tangible results: a fully installed solar electric system that provides immediate economic benefits to a local low-income family.
Tim and Erica's work creating GRID Alternatives was recognized in 2010 when they were honored with a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for advancing "innovative, proven and replicable solutions to critical issues facing California":

Solar Affordable Housing ProgramGRID Alternatives believes that economic and environmental sustainability must go hand-in-hand, particularly in California’s low-income communities that have been hit hardest by unemployment, recession, and pollution. Our flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program trains and leads teams of job trainees and other community members to install solar electric systems for low-income families throughout California. Every project generates “triple bottom line” results: measurable, long-term financial benefits for low-income families struggling to keep up with monthly expenses; real-world, hands-on experience for local workers in the growing field of solar installation; and environmental benefits by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and building support for solar power as a mainstream solution for all of our communities.
GRID Alternatives is a both a nonprofit organization and a licensed solar installer. We install solar electric systems exclusively for low-income families, and we do it in a way that engages everyone in the solution. GRID Alternatives provides the system design and engineering, obtains building permits, procures equipment, prepares and submits rebate and utility interconnection paperwork, and provides an industry-standard 10-year labor warranty. We then go beyond that to make sure we are engaging and educating families, helping them install energy efficiency and weatherization measures before they go solar, providing hands on experience to local job trainees, and educating the broader community about the benefits of solar power and its intersection with jobs and economic justice. These services are typically provided without charge to the homeowners through the financial support of the SASH incentive or other solar incentive programs, local government agencies, private foundations, corporate sponsors and individual donors.
For more information about GRID Alternatives visit the website at www.gridalternatives.org

Top tracks - Week 9/25-10/2

2011-10-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Marvin Gaye – After The Dance - Interlude
Marvin Gaye – After The Dance
Jill Scott feat. The Isley Brothers – Said Enough
Drake – Headlines - Explicit Version
Wyclef Jean – Gone Till November
Foo Fighters – Everlong
The Jackson 5 – Never Can Say Goodbye - Single Version
Drake – Marvins Room
Marvin Gaye – What's Going On
The Delfonics – Hey! Love
Incubus – Drive
Amy Winehouse – Me & Mr Jones 3
Linkin Park - Kenji
Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter - Ramblin Man
Crystal Kay - Flash
Chester French feat. Janelle Monae - Nerd Girl
Emilie Autumn - Gothic Lolita
Hank Williams - Your Cheating Heart
Boy Crisis - Michael Jackson
Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5

via Last.fm

New Facebook: Chapter 1 (新フェイスブック : 一の章)

2011-09-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

I'm at home today sick from work, which sucks because I like work. It's that kind of cold where you're half-awake and fairly able bodied but you cough like typhoid Mary and so it's probably best you should stay home. So my doctor and supervisor said. So I decided to test out the new Facebook Timeline feature.

It's like clockwork. Whenever I teach a class on Facebook(FB), it changes soon-after. Leading me to have to teach it all over again. One of my students(adult) called me in a frantic when they saw the Facebook Timeline Promo Video . But really is it that bad?

It is a bit much I have to admit. Everyone swears they're going to "quite Facebook" but most won't. Nobody quit Myspace because of a change.

Really? Who cares?

So far there are a few features that have me curious as to whose bright idea it was to put this on FB.The main one is "Life Events: Health and Wellness". Since my Gastric Bypass surgery is no longer a trade secret, I tested it out. I clicked on the apple icon and selected "Had Surgery", added a picture from highschool, and the next thing you know. "Had Gastric bypass surgery - Bye bye blubber" is apart of my Facebook Timeline. Admittedly I see the novelty in having a living auto-biography but I'm not sure I want to share my Timeline with 500 people. Of course FB's answer to this is "you control what people see" so it's not very difficult to pile people into "Limited Profile" and hide it from them.
I stand by my Social networking mantra "Very personal things about my life I don't put on Facebook because if I want you to know, you will." I don't just mean by talking in person, being 3000 miles and 3 hours time difference from home, I use texting, e-mail, and even Facebook (messages) to communicate with my friends and family back East. Instead of sharing and filtering through 500 friends that "I got over the flu". Though I do tout my near-decade success of Gastric bypass but honestly standard messages fit the bill. I can understand someone wanting to shout that they overcame Cancer but does it truly need a separate categorisation?

Am I nit-picking? Just a bit but there are other things about this new Timeline that I am questioning its feasibility but that's another post. Today I'm doing a bit of microblogging via Twitter and HireJasmine Page on FB until the next post.

Serve America

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's my background. Small city, military town (Augusta, Georgia) that makes me perhaps a bit more patriotic than people "expect". As a youth it was my secret dream to be a Naval Engineer. Oddly enough it was one of the reasons I convinced myself that my parents were right about me having gastric bypass surgery. Of course 160lbs lighter now know that weight loss surgery makes you ineligible for the reserves. Ah well, what can you do.

So I see Americorps as my chance to serve my country. And it's with pride that I begin my second year, this time in the ClimateCorps Bay Area. For my second year I will be the Volunteer and Training Associate for GRID Alternatives, a non-profit here in California that provides renewable energy sources such as Solar Panels for electricity, also known as photo-voltaic (PV) systems. I will be recruiting, training, and managing volunteers so it's a big responsiblity. It's a unique situation because in the Bay Area, GRID actually has a waitlist for volunteers. It is "the" place to volunteer at for a number of reasons. For 1 it's just plain awesome and 2. volunteers at GRID actually help install the PV systems so job experience! Yep, really. And as a Laney College student/employee and one searching for work in the energy field I have heard solar companies tell experienced construction people who need skills in PV installation to call GRID. You don't have to pay money to take a course or see if you can tag-along with someone's company you can come and volunteer, in turn helping a family in your community. It's such a win-win situation. Providing sustainable power at helping Americans gain the work skills they need..

Did she just say "America" *again* Well it is my country, for good or for bad, and the freedom to say "for good or for bad" is why I do love it. No it's not perfect, where is that perfect country? Living here has given me great opportunities for knowledge and experience that may have not be so easily accessible for me elsewhere. For this I'm truly thankful.

The next 11 months are going to be awesome and as always I'll let you know how it's going along.

take care!

Social Networking Seminar this Saturday!

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am just so excited! For the first time ever (yes, ever!) I will be giving a workshop on Social Networking that is fully open to the public. No matter where you're from, what connections you have, no crazy short-notice. All you need is $10 and to be available this Saturday, September 17th from 4-6pm. It will be held at the Attitudinal Healing Connection, right here in Oakland.

The featured topics include:

FaceBook - Overview of basics of FaceBook, creating Friend Groups, understanding the latest privacy policies, photo-tagging, etc.
LinkedIn - Why it's important to have, using it to improve your professional networking and job search.
Twitter - What's the big deal?, scheduling tweets, and the do's and don'ts
Personal Search Engines- "Do you know how much of your information is on the internet?"

At $10.00 per person it's an awesome deal and I'm glad that AHC and I are able to do this. My regular rate is $20.00 per hour, which is still a good deal but 2 hours for $10.00? You can't beat that with a stick. This includes the cost of materials with helpful tips so to help you along when you're practising your new skills on your computer.

If you have a laptop, netbook, iPad, etc (with Wireless capability) I encourage you to bring it, however a laptop is not required to attend. I understand how it is, in fact since my laptop has Linux I'm not 100% certain if I'll be toting my along or not.

Also there is an optional Q&A session following. I like to stay on topic but the Q&A session is your chance to ask more in-depth questions about your particular profile or other forms of Social Media (i.e 4square, Mixbook, Pandora, Spotify, GooglePlus).

You can sign-up at www.hirejasmine.com/seminar.html

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at info@hirejasmine.com

Lately on ColourLovers: Cali-versary

2011-08-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

July 23rd was my 2 year "Cali-versary". Hard to believe it was over two years ago on a chilly July night (50F and windy) I arrived in Oakland. The plan was to work at OTX West for a year, gain some experience, enjoy California, and by then the recession would be over and I could return to the South and resume normal life. Life rarely goes according to plan though.

My 2nd Cali-versary didn't go according to plan. Last year I was in Napa at the Chris Botti concert, this year I fell ill. But I still decided to make a colour tribute.

Cali-versary contains the following colours:

Gilded - the yellow
tangerinedreaming - an orange for those odd tasting Cali oranges (still prefer Florida's)
cali-luv - a sweet pink. I do "luv Cali"
dangerous girl - still one of my fave colours I discovered
stop by Julee @CL - to complete the sizzling yet adorable scheme.

I was able to use some of the pattern templates I designed as well as some of my all-time favourites. Just a simple tribute to Cali, my home away from home. As much as I miss the South, the East Coast in general, this was necessary. I've grown so much in the past two years and discovered so much about myself. Hopefully I will be spend a few more years here.

August is nearly gone

2011-08-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, I know. I have been busier than I would have ever dreamed. After months of ridiculous underemployment at times just plain "unemployment", I am starting to have a semblence of a work life. Albeit part-time work here and there but I'm so thankful.

Just to give you a list of current work (y'know I love me lists)

Working a night or so at Laney College in the Enviromental Controls Department
Working on 2 websites, one of which I designed
Tutoring my 2 high school students in Trigonometry and Algebra
of course my other 7 clients in computer tutoring
teaching a few classes here and there
and getting ready for another Americorps assignment (should begin September)

As always, "looking for a full-time job", that stays my job until it is my job. I also take some workshops when I can and I still do volunteer work. I'm just trying to use my underemployed time as productively as possible. So that when I do sit down in that interview chair I can say I was gaining skills and making moves during this oh-so abysmal recession.

Quick! Watt is unit of...?

2011-07-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today is the final class for the summer quarter. We'll give out the final exam and have a speaker and then that will be it for ECT 1 until Fall.

It amazes me how much my brain cranked out over the past 5 weeks. There's so much material the students had to read that I couldn't read it and write lab procedures and help during class and look for a full time permanent position. So most times I was going from the memory of tutoring or when I did the work last in college. Concept-wise, I am a nerd and read Physics, construction, and electronics books/articles for fun so jumping in to help was fine. I remembered a suprising amount of formulae and I helped the students learn alot which makes me happy. They will all be so ready once College Physics in Fall 2012 or 2013.

I was trying to remember all the different concepts and formulae I helped students understand over the past 5 weeks and here's what I came up with so far(in no particular order):

Laws of Thermodynamics
Ohm's Law (the triangle!)
Reading resistor bands by colour
Inductance
Capacitance
Drawing and reading basic schematics
Parallel and Series Circuits
Kirchoff's Voltage Law
Force-vector equations
Bernouli's Formula/Pressure
Frequency and Waves
Low-Emissivity Windows
Photovolteics
Insulation types and Thermal Conductivity
Heat Transfer
Energy Efficient Lighting
Calculating Power costs
AC/DC motors
Radiation
Specific Heat
Phase Change
...and probably some things I've missed

Y'know I feel like if I can help students learn these formulae and keep a classroom of teenagers in order I ought to be a pretty decent project manager, or at least assistant right?

Makes me wonder

2011-07-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

There was something I said in an interview last week that really made me stop and think.

"I've never had a job I didn't like because I don't apply for jobs I don't want"

and it's true. It may be the reason I'm still struggling along as part lab assistant/ part tutor/ occasional web developer and baker, but in the end I think that it's worth it. In this recession lots of us are applying for jobs haphazardly out need and desperation. Which I totally understand, I've opened myself up to opportunities I never imagined before but at the same time they've all been jobs that I really thought I could do well at. Such as this lab assistant position: I work with high-schoolers something I never planned on doing. However since I had such a great experience at Laney as a student and Bruce Douglas is a really great teacher and engineer I wanted to help. I've now had almost 3 years teaching experience, not to mention about 5 years of tutoring experience. Who knew that this would happen?

As for tutoring, well tutors are expensive and rarely available for the people who need them. Even my regular rate of $20.00/hr is really low compared to most computer tutors. But the fact that if you've received a computer from OTX West you qualify for a reduced rate, pretty much unheard of. There are free programs out there, but alot of the people I tutor work or can't get out much. Also most of the programs are over computer basics and office software, which is great I wish my hometown had more of that. But when people want to learn how to make a blog, or a simple website, or the ins and outs of facebook, or how to get netflix to stream to their television, they call me. When people already know the basics of Windows or if they can't keep up in the beginner's class, they call me. One-on tutoring is a helpful thing when you're learning a new form such as computers.

Throughout this recession I've developed my skills, particularly my organizational skills. Let's face it, when you have about 4 different jobs and you're looking for a job, you have got to be on top of it. Google Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, and Docs has been my saving grace. There have been weeks where I've had interviews, work, tutoring, class, and job applications due. It's been really tough but honestly I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Back to Lab...

2011-07-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

So I've just started the second week of my new part-time job. I work at Laney College, the very same college where I was a student just a few short months ago and may possibly be a student again if me and Financial Aid can ever come to terms. The department I work in is "Environmental Controls Technology (ECT)" and I'm a lab assistant for the ECT 1 class also known as "Physics in Building Performance". The students are rising juniors and seniors in high school and they get some college credit for the class.
Basically my job is to help the teacher (Mr. Douglas, PE) wherever he needs help. I show the students how to use the lab equipment and certain particulars. For instance when they ask "Where is the ammeter/voltmeter/ohmmeter?" I have to remind them that a Digital Multimeter is an all-in-one miracle. We talk about the symbols for AC/DC and reading schematics. Before class I help set up the labs and write the procedures but I also help during the lecture portion. See, this is a 5 week class that is a quarter's worth of knowledge and it's a lot of knowledge. Especially when it comes to the basics of Electricity. The teacher I work for studied Mechanical Engineering whereas I'm a fairly recent graduate in Electrical Engineering Technology so I remember alot more about Circuit Theory. The students really jog my brain, I haven't had the time to read every chapter they have to read so there are times when they raise their hand "Jazz!" or "Jasmine!" and I''m staring at an equation I haven't seen in years. Then it is my responsibility to refresh my memory in such a way that I can show them how to do a problem I just saw. Being a computer instructor I have a lot of practise with that, students are always asking me about software and website I've never/rarely used. But like computers, math can become fairly intuitive once you've done for awhile. I remember a lot of the mnemonics we used in high-school and college such as "Watt is a unit of Power? Yes!" and that helps some and entertains most.
The best part is just being able to help high-school students understand some of the concepts they may have to learn more once they go to college. Alot of them want to go to school for engineering, biology, computer science, pre-med, etc. They ask me a lot of questions about what college is like, East Coast college I'd recommend, and just how hard is the Engineering Major. It seems to be informing them without discouraging them, which can be hard since all of those majors are tough but college in general is an adjustment no matter what your major.
My favourite piece of equipment so far is the "Xplorer GLX" by Pasco, I so want one of those for my very own. I'll have to talk about that next time.

till then,

A special announcement

2011-06-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back home in the South, what a feeling. I love Oakland, y'know I do. But the Deep South will always be my home. Being in California has made me appreciate my home more and I cherish every visit.

This visit was especially memorable as it was my cousins' high-school graduation. They're twins (non-identical) and I'm so proud of them. Ashley's name was practically listed on every on honour list there was except athletics, where Alfred's name was as an athletic scholar. Ashley received a scholar medal and Alfred had his award for having the highest GPA on the football team! He's not dumb jock at all. Both of them were in National Honour Society. You can tell I'm a proud older cousin.

As they go off to university I hope that they will both take advantage of the great experience that lies ahead for them both.

Teach 'em how it's done

2011-06-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

As of late, I've been very busy on the tutoring scene. From pre-algebra to Cascading Style Sheets(CSS), if I'm proficient in it then I will teach you how you can do it too! I mostly tutor adults (within that group mostly baby-boomers) in technology topics, it's my favourite topic. With this recession passing at turtle's pace, folks are using their abundant free time to improve their computer skills. Just as I spent a quarter at Laney College, my clients are trying to gain skills to hopefully gain employment.

Within technology there are hundreds of topics, however I get the most requests to learn internet tools. "Teach me the Facebook" is my favourite quote because now more than ever, everybody and their mom (and mine!) is using Social Networking. To the tech-savvy of all ages, Facebook doesn't seem to be a difficult concept. But to those who used computers strictly for word processing, or never really used computers at all, it's like learning a new language. In a sense it is a new language, a new way of doing things. Words like "Friending, Google it, Tweet, Tagging, etc." are totally new to my clients and I help explain them.

This summer I plan on volunteering at the Eastmont Technology Centre, in East Oakland. They're very interested in a class on social networking and I'm modifying one of my favourite workshops "Internet Safety and Responsibility"(ISR) for their audience. ISR is a 2 part class. The first part is on getting online, how to clear cache, and safety on public computers. The second part is the "fun" part, it's a basic introduction to Social Networking. I focus on the three that people here in the Bay seem to use the most: FaceBook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Within this primer on social networking are the "do's and dont's" of Social Networking. This is still a new frontier and people still aren't convinced that their privacy is in danger. I always try to find news articles on great examples, if you know of any good stories feel free to e-mail me a link to the article at info@hirejasmine.com.

Till next time,

Review: Leslie Sansone's Walk of the Pounds 5 mile

2011-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Summer is fast approaching, if you're back East you probably think it's already here. The weather's been quite warm from what I heard and makes me glad I live in Oakland with our nice Bay Breeze.

I'm sticking to my commitment of doing longer low impact cardio since I'm not yet ready to do 60minutes of Zumba, at least not all at once. I've had this dvd of "Leslie Sansone's Walk of the Pounds 5 mile Fat Burning Walk"(WATP5), that's a mouthful I'm sure I burned at least a calorie just saying it.
Indoor Walking may not seem like the most exciting dvd for a twenty-something but it's a good low impact workout. I thought it would be like "Basic Step" for Wii Fit but it's actually good. It's more like aerobics, with knee lifts, side steps, and running in place. It's metered, so it shows you when you've done 1 mile, 2 miles, etc which I like, it's good to see I'm making progress and that I'm getting close to the end. The end of every there's a "boosted walk"where you run in place and do some of the steps at a faster pace. I admit that the basic "boosted walk" does remind me of "Wii Fit Basic Run".
WATP5 is great for people who haven't exercised in awhile, people with some mobility issues. I have a knee that sometimes makes Zumba not my choice for the day. If you're aiming to exercise 5-7 days a week but aren't up for the high impact this a good one.
My only complaint is the music, it bores me to tears. Most non-dance workout music isn't fantastic but this video lasts 68 minutes! I couldn't get through the video the first time because the music couldn't hold my motivation.
Here's my solution: since the routine is fairly easy to follow I just turned the volume down and played my music on my speakers. With listening to my favourite upbeat music and following along with Leslie, the 68 minutes flew by!
I think this will stay in my "palette of fitness choices" for those low impact days, as long as I'm playing my music.

Plateaus bite

2011-05-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

So what's the news on the health update? Not much really.

My personal life has been a bit of a roller coaster lately, I'm trying to work that out. So I go a few days and exercise daily and then comes a big 3-5 day gap. I haven't lost, I haven't gained, well I've gained muscle. My waist is almost 3 inches smaller than what it was on New Year's Eve so I'm quite psyched about that. But to be honest I'd really like to see that scale number go down a bit more. So far this year I've lost 15lbs, which is good I am very happy but in the past 2 months I've lost only 1lb so you see my cause for complaint.
I'm not really sure what to do. I don't have very good health insurance so I can't see my doctor about my weight loss. I know that I couldn't go for a restricted diet. I like Fage Greek yogurt and it's very healthy so I can't go vegan; I also need all the protein I can get so I can't really cut out chicken/seafood entirely. As I've said before I can't really eat beef or pork due to my weight loss surgery back in 2002.
The only other option is to exercise more and so I'm aiming to do 60 minutes everyday. I recently bought Zumba for the Wii and I've been enjoying it very much so far. I also enjoy Leslie Sansone's Walk off the Pounds 5 mile walk, I'm going to try and do that today.

The year is half gone and I have about 35lbs to lose to reach my goal, I can still do it. Believe that.

Going West, the Jasmine DK Shepard story

2011-04-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

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So at OTX West, y'know where I was an Americorps and now teach on a part-time basis, digital stories are a big deal. Windows Movie Maker comes standard on every OTX computer and honestly for a free computer you can make some pretty nifty movies with it. Mostly we make slideshows just using pictures and audio. Everybody at OTX is supposed to do one and about half of have so far. Plus we talk about it in the Take Home Computer Program.

This video is a bit archival because it's based solely on my Americorps experience, not about anything that has happened since. I probably recorded the audio a year ago and pieced together the rough draft over the summer. It needed more pictures, it originally had about 30% few pictures. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Also you'll notice there's now a Hire Jasmine YouTube channel, subscribe to it and look for more videos in the coming weeks.

Where ideas are made

2011-04-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

I try to have "brain-storming" sessions at home but when you live in a studio there's really no place to get away from media buzz. However when I tote my laundry down a few blocks to the laundromat, I sit there for about an hour with little to do. Because despite the nice flat screen you see, it's hard to hear over machines and they very rarely have captions on. Plus the only thing that catches my interest during the day is "Perry Mason" and "Streets of San Francisco" which wasn't on so I didn't bug the attendant about it being off.

When I was at Soko Gakuen or in the Green Building program at Laney, I took this time to study but as I'm not in school at the moment (thankfully). I just toted my notepad and wrote some ideas, future blog posts, plans, and sketches. I probably wrote 5 pages and it's always nice to get some thoughts out. I love typing, my mother made me learn shortly after I started at Davidson, a super hard middle and highschool with lots of school work. So I can touch-type and type fast and always read my notes afterwards, I didn't get great penmanship until college when I was indoctrinated with "Technical Writing". Like alot of engineers I write in all caps and it weirds some people out but you can always read what I write.

It's quite late now though and I really need to get to bed, I have to get up early in the morning to go over to San Francisco for a class on "Climate Based Daylighting & Analysis" at PGnE's Pacific Energy Centre. I'll be sure to tell you all about it!

EVO and Yoghurt Loaf Cake

2011-04-22T21:32:00.001-07:00

Lost keys, bike tire blow-out, stepped on the cable of my external Hard-drive. Not a good day, I was all set to go to bed at 7pm to prevent anything else happening. But baking is my ultimate de-stress mechanism. I have a ton of yoghurt in my house, thanks to my Fage coupons. I kept seeing recipes for "pound cakes" and finally I saw one I liked, simple and to the point with all the things I've learned to love as a grown-up: lemons, olive oil, and greek yoghurt, and limoncello. I actually made 2 mini loaves, one of which I plan to freeze and one for later.

EVO and Yoghurt Loaf Cake adapted from Serious Eats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 organic lemons
6oz nonfat yoghurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil, get the good stuff make sure it's fresh)
limoncella glaze (optional recipe below)

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, place the pan on a lined baking sheet and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep near by.
Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and rub the ingredients together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil. The batter will be thick and shiny. Scrape it into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to come away from the sides of the pan; a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up on wire rack. Add glaze while still cake is slightly warm.

Storing: You can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days or freeze it unglazed for up to 2 months

Limoncello Glaze recipe from this link

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons limoncello
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1.5 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan on low heat, melting the butter, until it simmers.
If it's too thin, add extra powdered sugar by the tablespoon.
Spoon the glaze warm over your dessert, and allow to cool completely (over an hour).

Jasmine Shepard on Peralta Matters

2011-04-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

So as you know, I recently finished up a 10 week program. During finals some of the heads of the program asked if I'd do an interview on Peralta Matters, the local show about Peralta Colleges. I was really nervous about it until I realised it was a bunch of nice AV folks. See, when I was at Davidson for middle and highschool I was on sound crew and to this day I still say "striking" whenever I turn on a light. Thanks to Hennessey one of the best teachers I ever had in my whole life.
They asked about what we learned and how one would take the introductory course and turn it into an Associates degree. Most surprising to me they mentioned my engineering degree and asked me why I decided on attending Laney. As I told them, there are lots of engineers out there and I have to make myself more competitive because I'm tired of underemployment.

Let me know what you think of the video!

Vegan French Toast

2011-04-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't completely gone over to the dark side. I just like different kinds of food and challenging myself in the kitchen. I started out wanting to use the quart of milk that I need to use by Monday but then the thought of vanilla almond milk with walnuts and bread just enticed me more than cow's milk. So I'll save that for maybe some Alfredo. I sort of made the recipe as I went along, after a quick Google.

Vegan French Toast
Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup silken tofu
1tbsp sugar or equivalent (I used Equal)
2-4 slices of sandwich bread
Hazelnut Agave Nectar (for topping)
Walnuts (for garnish)

Procedure

With a whisk smooth tofu
Add milk and sugar and whisk until smooth and a bit frothy
Dip bread in milk mixture soak both sides
On the stovetop heat a pan, using spray or butter to coate pan
Cook on each side till brown
Top with Agave Nectar and a few walnuts if desired

I had mine with some fresh ground Peet's Italian Roast. Talk about a great breakfast for dinner.

According to the corn farmers....

2011-04-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

Now I'm from Georgia with family from North Carolina that has farmed generations so I'm all for the farmers getting what they deserve but this is ridiculous. I will simply post this article and let you decide. Let me know what you think!

High Fructose Corn Syrup Provides Many Consumer Benefits
Source

High fructose corn syrup often plays a key role in the integrity of food and beverage
products that has little to do with sweetening.

Here are some examples in popular products:

Baked goods	In baked goods, high fructose corn syrup: gives a pleasing brown crust to breads and cakes; contributes fermentable sugars to yeast-raised products; reduces sugar crystallization during baking for soft-moist textures; and enhances flavors of fruit fillings.
Yogurt	In yogurt, high fructose corn syrup: provides fermentable sugars; enhances fruit and spice flavors; controls moisture to prevent separation; and regulates tartness.
Spaghetti sauces, ketchup, and condiments	In spaghetti sauces, ketchup, and condiments, high fructose corn syrup: enhances flavor and balance – replaces the “pinch of table sugar" grandma added to enhance spice flavors; and balances the variable tartness of tomatoes.
Beverages	In beverages, high fructose corn syrup: provides greater stability in acidic carbonated sodas than sucrose; and flavors remain consistent and stable over the entire shelf- life of the product.
Granola, breakfast and energy bars	In granola, breakfast and energy bars, high fructose corn syrup: enhances moisture control, retards spoilage, and extends product freshness; provides soft texture; and enhances spice and fruit flavors.
Canned and frozen fruits	In canned and frozen fruits, high fructose corn syrup: protects the firm texture of canned fruits; reduces freezer burn in frozen fruits; and enhances fruit flavors.
Frozen beverage concentrates	In frozen beverage concentrates, high fructose corn syrup: has a lower freezing point, so frozen beverage concentrates have the added convenience of being pourable straight from the freezer and easier for consumers to thaw and mix with water.

School's out for now

2011-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my classes at Laney College! A couple of weeks ago I had my finals and on April 4th we had a small ceremony to recognise the accomplishments that our group have achieved.
Over the past 10 weeks I learned alot about the world of energy efficient retro-fitting and green building in general. I learned how to conduct a blower door test and how to do the relevant calculations, honestly that was my favourite topic we learned in construction class. I love tests and calculations! We had some really great teachers who had a real passion for what they do. Every class I learned something different but I admit that "The Sustainable Built Enviroment" was my favourite class, it was twice a week and taught by John Shurtz. We learned so much about green building materials, off-gassing, different types of insulation and construction, it blew my mind! My family and friends have been on me to get LEED certification and I didn't really see the point until I took this class. Now I so want to become a LEED Green Associate and one day a LEED AP.
For the past few months my interests in engineering had been waning, I figured I'd been out of school to long to have any hope of really getting an engineering position. That I'd have to go with technology education, which I do love doing but it's not what I went to school for. It's not what I've been striving to be since I was 7. But now I see that I do have chance and that there are things that I can do to add to my engineering education that cost little to nothing.

The next step is to figure out exactly how I will describe this 10 week course on my resume' and to start trying to get out there in the "Green World" of Northern California. I've already signed up for 2 classes at Pacific Gas and Electric (PGnE) one is called Integrating Energy Efficiency & Renewables in Home Retrofits and the other is "Climate Based Daylighting & Analysis". I really feel that my months of being underemployed are drawing to an end and I can't wait to start working and putting all the knowledege I learned at Georgia Southern and at Laney to good use.

Today in School

2011-03-24T15:18:00.001-07:00

We spent all day learning about Lead Safety for Renovation and Remodelling. Afterwards we took a short exam and once pass we'll get a letter of completion.

A definite feather in my job seeking cap.

5 Ways to get HFCS out of your life

2011-03-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well the health udpate is I gained 3lbs, stress from the news in Japan, school, and my always present under-employment. I need to relax and pay more attention to what's going in my body. Like my never-ending fight to avoid high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Honestly at this point I'm in it for 2 big reasons: it's not natural and I want all my bang for my buck. If I spend 3 dollars on a bottle of ketchup I'd better get the real deal. Here's 5 ways that have helped me ease HFCS out my life:

Switch your condiments Ketchup, honey mustard, salad dressings, so many of these have HFCS. My number one condiment is Ketchup, I'm not here to preach about the high salt of ketchup just the fact that it's supposed to have sugar and tomatoes and vinegar, nothing else. By default Hunt's ketchup has no HFCS and it can be found at Dollar Trees if your lucky. It's a lot thicker and a touch sweeter than Heinz, which has always made it a natural favourite of mine.
Switch your "health foods" So you gave up candy bars and skittles for yoghurt and fruit snacks? Check the labels, you may still be in the same boat when it comes to unnatural sugars. I grew up on flavoured yoghurt (my mom loves the stuff) but around 2008 I discovered Fage yoghurt and I haven't looked back. If you like thick creamy foods you'll love it! There's store brands popping up nowadays but Fage 0% remains my favourite followed by Fage 2%, lol.
Eat more whole foods This was the hardest part for me, I admittedly thrived off of diet tv dinners, fruit snacks, and other foods. But I started noticing all the HFCS and other random food ingredients. I am slowly suceeding in eating more whole grains such as wheatberries, eating more raw fruits and veggies (esp with my greek yogurt) and fast food is losing appeal exponetially which leads me to...
Cook more at home! It's a recession save money and your body! You don't have to be a chef to whip a bit of something at home. Some Italian diced tomatoes over whole wheat cappellini with a bit of basil and cheese, a turkey sandwich, baked boneless chicken breasts. The more you do it the easier it gets! Your wallet and your body will thank-you
Read labels! All of the label I know us dieters are always looking at calories, fat, sugar, carbs, sodium whatever your modus operandi may be, but look a little lower at what is making up that food. Nutra grain Apple cinnamon seem like a healthy treat but they have HFCS in them. who knew? I didn't until I looked. Be more aware of what you're putting in your body and no matter what your health goals may be you will see a difference.

5 ways you can help Japan

2011-03-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

The update on my end is that 2 loved ones are confirmed dead and 1 is still missing. Unfortunately it pales in comparison to my closest Cali-pal, Miko. I really can't watch the news any-more because it's heart-breaking, though I stay in touch with loved ones in Kyoto and Nagasaki also I read the Japanese and English reports. The video footage is too much right now. As I'm trying my hardest just to make rent these days I feel helpless that all I can do is donate $10 and buy a button from Zazzle to maintain awareness. Then it occurred to me that I can blog and increase awareness and maybe some of you can do a bit to help. 8 bits make a byte, 1024 bytes make a kilobyte, etc. So here are some ways we can all help:

Donate to the International Red Cross/Crescent by clicking here
Here in the SF area many events are going on with the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), check out their website www.jcccnc.org
Buy a tee, button, or other item from Zazzle's Japan Relief store, or donate a design of your own! Here's one of mine "Hapas for Japan"
The human suffering is great but we can't forget the countless pets left abandoned by this disaster. Animal Refuge Kansai has more information. My neighbour's friend has first hand experience with this organization. Click for their website
Pray, Meditate, and keep Japan in your thoughts. It will take time for Japan to rebuild and we can't allow it to become yesterday's news.

Thank-you for your support

- JDK "the K is for Kumiko" Shepard

Tsunami udpate

2011-03-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

First off thanks to everyone for your prayers and thoughts. Luckily all my loved ones live in the Southern part of the country. However 3 people I know are still missing, unfortunately one friend lives in Minami Sanriku so things don't look good. Most of my concern goes to one of my closest friends here in California is half-Japanese and all her family is from Northern Japan and it's been so heart-breaking to see her go through all this. Like any other disaster I've made myself stay away from the news after the first day. Miko and I spent so much time watching NHK and listening to the Japanese radio that English became a distant memory. I don't understand Japanese as well as Miko but you get the idea if you know the language. Seems to me Japan was talking about nuclear accidents before it hit English news. Maybe it was a "saving face" thing I don't know. All I can say is that I wish the best for everybody in Japan.

In related news, I was completely fine. My mom called me at 6:00 am about a tsunami warning, I didn't even know that Oakland got tsunami warnings. They closed the ferries and stayed on alert with BART and highways but we were fine. There was one picture springing up around the internet near me, but honestly I think it was nothing compared to 10m waves.

Don't give up Japan!

A major health update!

2011-03-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile. I finally have high-speed internet at home again! So hopefully I can get back into blogging more. I was doing so well until I was without internet.

So I finally decided to weigh around my birthday, February 7th and guess what? I'd lost 10lbs since the beginning of the year. Since then I've lost 2 more. I have to say that I've been trying to eat as balanced as I can and exercise.

My foodstamps ran out early this month. Despite the stereotype I eat healthier because of my foodstamps than I ever really do with cash. It's hard when it's the end of the month to spend $4 on salad mix when you know in a few days you'll have funds that are specifically for buying groceries. I slip and say "I'll just buy this mega cheap box of lean pockets, baby carrots and a cube (24pk) of Diet dr. pepper". It could've been worse but still I should've bought more veggies. In a few more days I'll have my food stamps again and I'll go to the grocer and farmer's market and get some veggies.

On the warmer days I have been actually craving salads. Like the ones I used to make for myself during lunch when I worked at Applewood Golf: grilled chicken with sea salt and coarse pepper, romaine/iceberg mix, onions, a few small cubes of havarti and vinagrette. Not bad for 3.00 ne? (we used to get food half priced as employees). Also I notice just like I stopped missing HFCS, I am slowly losing my taste for fast food which kind of bums JB out but he knows it's for the best.

Exercise-wise my sister sent me a resistance and Dynaband with some exercises so I've been using those 5x a week and I reduced my weights to 3x. I was starting get a bit stocky in the shoulders so I'm trying to focus on lighter weights and more cardio.

I haven't taken anymore pictures but some of my bigger clothes that I bought when I was in Macon are getting too loose to wear even to construction class. Even a pair of sz 20 plus size Old Navy pants I bought specifically for moving to California are getting too loose. And I've had them taken about an inch in the waist since I moved here. That tailor tried to convince me to take them in 2 inches but I wouldn't listen. Now I have to wear them with a belt or they will slip down to much, not to the point falling off but I keep having to re-adjust them.

I've been a bit heavy on the sugars lately so I'm going to try and calm down a bit. Also exercise a bit more on the weekends.

Wish me luck!

Learning curve

2011-02-03T17:00:00.001-08:00

Week 2 of my "Intro to Energy Efficient Retro-fitting" courses at Laney has ended. Only 8 weeks to go. Things are going pretty well so far especially the academic side. Having a degree definitely helps me weed past to basics (math skills) and get right to meat of the issues. One of my classes on Energy Control focuses on Energy auditing, bringing a lot of basics of electricity. The class is taught by a Professional licensed engineer (PE) so he's definitely a favourite of mine.

Customer service is an entertaining class, I have it Monday mornings at 8am and it's a nice class to begin the school week. We work on our communication skills in that class, so it should prove useful.

"Sustainibility and the Enviroment" is one of my favourite classes, I'm learning about a lot of green technology used in construction. So far I've learned about grey water, solar water heaters, storm water management, sustainable lawns, just to name a few. It definitely gives me ideas about construction.

My carpentry class is so far my hardest class. The lecture part is fine, I understand everything. It's just when we get to the actual hammer and nails part. I've built everything from computers to jewellry to a coffee maker but heaven help me with building a frame for a house. Construction is new to me, I tend to deal with small things, or electrical systems. Also I tend to be on the planning/management side as a student or intern, it's different to be on the labour portion. I've always respected skilled labourers and technicians but I have newfound respect. We've started building our project house. It's a small 8'x12' house but it will have insulation and floors and a roof and all of that. Once when we finish we will do some testing like using a blower door. It's all going be really interesting and I will definitely keep you posted on all that I am learning.

Next update is on my birthday, February 7th!

Sans internet

2011-02-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

I no longer have internet at my house. Big update soon.

すみません,

JDKS

Stopping a Binge

2011-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

The past few days did not go well. I ate like a maniac. Well as much as a girl with a 12oz pouch can.   I gained about 2lbs in the past week. Partially because I had to get back into my usual routine of walking everywhere that I do when JB is back home. After driving and being ridden around for almost a month, I walked about 7 miles in 3 days.   It didn't really tire me out, my feet hurt a bit and I was so so hungry! I ate a few things I shouldn't like 3 donut holes (120 cals, 10 grams of fat) but I think today I finally shook the last bit of bingeful lust. Basically I started drinking water when I wanted to eat and got of my tail to exercise and the cravings went away.
I'm finally back to 100%, over the sickness. So it's time to get back to exercising. I exercised 30 minutes yesterday and so far have exercised about 20 minutes today.   I've been doing a lot cleaning today too, which is a useful way to burn calories. I'm aiming for 60 minutes of activity a day, including walking for transportation. There's not really much excuse for me not to exercise, I have just about every kind of workout video ever. Then there's HULU and their bevy of streaming videos. In fact I plan on doing some yoga later on today. Even though I have just about every style of video I could want, I still want Disco Abs so I decided once I lose 10lbs I will buy myself a copy.

Diet-wise I have to admit my binge wasn't too bad, it was just too many calories in one day. Aside from the donut holes I was mainly eating flatbread, flavoured soymilk, and toast with lowfat cream cheese. Basically a carb binge. I need to plan more carbs in my diet so this doesn't happen every couple of weeks. Tonite I'm going to fix some chili lime tofu with barley. Yummy! While I was in bed this weekend trying to recover I wrote a food and exercise plan for the next week. It's posted on my message board where I see it constantly. It's on notebook paper so I can take it with me on my days out and about. Those days are about to increase since I will be going to school soon. I'm look forward to school though, I tend to eat out of boredom and that's going to be hard to do when I'm in school 4 days a week all day long.

I won't bore you with my eating plan for the week but here's my exercise plan:

Monday: 200 ball crunches, 20 minutes of yoga, 20 minute zumba
Tuesday: 10 minute ball workout, Arms of Envy (on Hulu)
Wednesday: 200 ball crunches, Leslie Sansons 5 mile Fat burning walk video
Thursday: 10 minute ball workout (hulu) , Stripeaerobics
Friday: 200 ball crunches, 20 minute zumba, 20 minutes strength
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Neena and Veena Belly Dance Video, 10 minute ball workout

It may sound ambitious but I already exercise on average 4 times a week for about 45 minutes. Besides I'm in it to win it!

Change: Gained 2lbs due to binging. Drinking about 2 Litres of water a day now!

Have you ever made any original recipes?

2011-01-17T12:19:00.001-08:00

A few. I think my first ever was a blueberry lace cookie, that's when I was seven. In recent years my favourites include: Vanilla Almond cupcakes, Vegan chocolate cake, red velvet "oreos", and White Macaroni and Cheese with asparagus.

Ask me anything

What is your favorite color?

2011-01-17T12:17:00.001-08:00

Pink is my favourite colour but I'm often seen in my second favourite: blue.

Ask me anything

Back to the books

2011-01-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

In my first in what should be weekly updates on my job search, I need to tell you about the classes I´m going to be attending in a few weeks at a local college. Like alot of underemployed people I decided to go back to school. Though I haven´t decided what I what I want to get my Master´s in and I can´t get financial aid for a second Bachelor´s. I heard about a program to help young adults in their job search, particularly in the green job field which is hot hot in California right now. It´s a free 10 week program and some of what it covers includes:

Energy efficiency standards and weatherization principals: Remodeling and new construction of homes and commercial buildings; all aspects of: energy efficiency, design and systems of weatherization.
Introduction to technical and economic operating principles of electrical and mechanical devices for making cost-effective decisions and energy-efficient choices: Use of energy analysis software tools such as Energy+, Cal Arch, DOE 2, and others.
Introduction to basic concepts of Customer Service as applied to the skilled trades: installers, designers, estimators, and sales persons.
The Sustainable Built Environment covers principles, strategies and techniques in the fields of water and resource conservation, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Upon course completion students will be fully conversant in the trends and opportunities in green building, and will understand the terms and concepts for successful employment in the green building industry.

The curriculum is aimed at those wishing to get a skilled labour position or obtain an associates degree. So why is a B.S EET so excited about this program? Those of you who know me, know I love the hands-on, hard-hat, getting dirty part of engineering. Also you get a certificate of completion so that can only add to the reasons a person should ¨Hire Jasmine¨. I´m really looking forward to going back to school, albeit a little nervous. I do keep my mind sharp, especially being a tutor but it´s always good to learn as much as you can. I´m sure in the weeks ahead I will be posting more about it.

As far as the job search goes I must confess since I am starting school my job search has narrowed abit. I am applying to the big companies for positions for new grads and also for part-time positions in the restaraunt industry as a cook, baker, assistant to pastry chef. So if you hear of any openings in Oakland, Berkeley or San Francisco (for SF it has to be during public transit hours so no morning bakery positions) please let me know!

Health update 1: configuring the pantry

2011-01-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well this year is off to a neutral start. When I returned to Oakland I got some crazy bug coupled with jetlag, I literally was in bed for 2 days. The only good thing to add is that of course when you're sick, you really can't gain weight. I'm starting to feel better now and so we headed to the mega asian mart. Ranch 99 is probably favourite grocery experience ever. Sure I love Nijiya in Japantown because I can actually read the labels on most the products but Ranch 99 takes food stamps, I mean come on. I still will shop at Ranch 99 when I stop being a hobo though. Their produce is tops and just across the way is the best bakery ever. Ranch 99 has a in-store bakery that accepts EBT but Sheng bakery's bread is just heavenly. Yes I still eat white bread and white rice for that matter, I just can't get behind brown rice (most of the time when I'm cutting back I just forgo the carb at dinner time) and most of the wheat bread I can afford is just coloured white bread.
I do however love wheatberries, quinoa, shredded wheat for breakfast, rye flats, and barley. Just that with asian food, nothing compliments it the way simple gohan does. One of the reason there's a marked decrease in the amount of asian food I eat when I diet. However this is suppose to be a lifestyle change so I just have to figure another way to eat the food that is as comforting me as grits.
Today at the grocer I aimed to stay away from junkfood and get lots of simple wholesome ingredients for some great meals this week.

My grocery list

Snow peas
Snow pea greens
Grapefruit (great breakfast and snack food)
baby carrrots
tofu (79 cents a pound!)
chicken gyoza (6 gyoza for 170 cal)
gyoza tsuyu
mirin
edamame (good source of protein)
miso (high on sodium but low calories)
zuchini
White bread
Vermont curry (for the quick meals)
senna tea (for regularity)
green tea
shoga
Pork buns (for JB)
shrimp
Tamanegi

I have to note that I have ridiculously low blood pressure so I don't watch my salt intake perhaps as much as I should.

Change so far: no weigh-in since 31Dec2010. Measurements the same, drinking a lot more water now.

New Year's Resolutions and how to stick to them

2011-01-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Get a full time job, constantly updating hirejasmine.com, refining my CAD skills, networking and going to any job fair I can within a 50 mile radius. updates on Wednesday
Get out of the plus-sizes, reduce alcohol and sugar consumption, exercise 60 minutes a day 3-5 times a week. Avoid synthetic foods. updates on Monday.
update the blog more. By updating on my year resolutions on a weekly basis.
Stay in California, by completing goal 1

Cute

2010-12-09T21:41:00.001-08:00

see more Funny Graphs

What's your favourite tv show?

2010-12-05T15:41:00.001-08:00

Get Smart is probably my absolute favourite. One of the reason I wanted to go to school for engineering was to invent gadgets. lol. I also love M.A.S.H, Mad Men, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and Frasier

Ask me anything

The mini update

2010-12-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

I have been really hustling lately. I recently went to Denver, Colorado to visit on of my pals from college. That's where I spent my Thanksgiving, so no turkey for me. It's okay though because I have been trying to trim down, I had gained some weight during October. Trying to work wherever I can. I began selling jewellery on my etsy again. I've decided to look for a job as a baker or pastry chef so Operation Hire Jasmine is as strong as ever.

My boyfriend has recently gave me a white board and I finally put it up so every morning I write my To-do list to keep me on task. It's kinda hard not to be reminded when it's staring you in the face like that

Lately on Colour Lovers

2010-11-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have had a lot of off time lately. Working on personal projects, job searching. Trying to lose some weight I gained when my SO visited me. I've been pretty focused on the goal but my random creatively brain wonders when I'm not occupied with work.

The weekend finally arrived and I started going back to Colour Lovers, the site for those who love colours. I've been trying to get the hang of the "Seamless" Pattern maker. It doesn't always work for me, but I've come up with a few templates that I love. You can see that I'm trying to keep it pretty simple right now. I'll save my baroque damask for a later date. I also find that doodling helps me plan my thoughts. Unlike making a palette or colouring a palette, random inspiration doesn't seem to strike me. The pattern maker has a few bugs but I love it still. One of these days one of these patterns may end up a bag or a neck tie designed by my nearly famous friend Aja, the fashion designer.

"And the dish..." and "ranawaywiththespoon", is based off of one of my favourite episodes of Frasier. When Niles and Daphne finally admit their feelings.

I've another project I've started via colour lovers, a rather autobiographical one. Talk about that later.

Bacon and rosemary scones

2010-11-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

I have a huge rosemary plant growing at my place. I enjoy adding it in dishes from pasta to beef but since its fruition I have been wanting to make some scones with rosemary. Preferbly with bacon, everything is better with bacon.

Well I finally got around to it this evening. This is only the second time I made a savoury scone. I adapted a recipe I found, with a bit of this and that. The original recipe can be found here

Bacon and Rosemary Scones

Ingredients
6 oz all purpose flour (about 1.36 let's say 1 and 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
4 tbsp soft salted butter (I actually used "lite" butter, b/c that's all I had)
4oz Feta
A good-sized sprig of rosemary, washed, then finely chopped
1 large egg
3 tablespoons of nonfat greek yogurt
about 1/2lb of bacon baked, chopped
Ground pepper for topping

Procedure
Preheat oven to 425F or 220c (not exact conversion but for simplicity's sake)

Method

Sift all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Rub in butter until mixture is crumbly-ish
In a seperate bowl beat egg and yogurt, leave a touch to brush the tops before baking
Add feta and rosemary to flour mixture
Blend into a dough (add a touch of flour if wet, yogurt if too dry)
Fold in bacon
Flour your area (counter top, I used a sheet of wax paper on my counter)
Roll dough till it's around 3/4 inch thick (for minis, 1 inch for regular scones)
Cut with 1 inch rounds (or 2-3 inch for regular) and place onto greased baking sheet (or wax paper on a baking sheet)
Brush with remaining egg milkture, dash a bit of pepper on scones
Bake for 10-13 minutes
Cool
Enjoy!

Keeping busy

2010-10-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here with a sore throat, that's been plaguing me off and on for the past 2 weeks. It's so ridiculous, apparently I have chronic laryngitis. I think it's from all the talking I've been doing lately. It's amazing, sometimes I think working full-time might be less stressful than being a part-time worker seeking work.
I love my job and I stay busy. I teach the intermediate class at OTX West, work on the "Get Connected Oakland" website, create instructional videos. I'm also the web manager for "Yes on Prop L" website, I didn't design it, it's a Google Site Template, I just update the site.

Tutoring one middle schooler in science, getting ready to start a large weebly project and getting ready to post 2 bracelets and earrings on my Etsy page.

Just trying to make rent, pretty much. Nah it's not that bad but I have to keep hustling until I find a full time job. So in addition to my work, I spend at least 1 hour a day job-searching, working on applications, etc. Meanwhile keeping up with my Japanese skills and working on building shelving for my apartment. Somehow I still manage to have a little fun, like this past weekend when my older sister and her friend came to San Fran for the Nike Women's marathon.

Come on' Tesla? Don't you need an engineer like me?

So it's corn sugar now.

2010-10-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

I didn't actually believe they would do it. Even when they did, I thought "it won't hit television". But yesterday when I was at the laundromat I saw an ad for "corn sugar". They've backed a multi-million dollar campaign including websites lauding its "benefits". It's a change you don't notice until you eliminate it from your diet. But I tell you I've been eating less and less hfcs every week and I feel so much better! I'm an engineering grad so I can understand the "soundness" of certain technological changes to our food, like odour-less garlic but I draw the line at things like "HFCS" and that "trout-tomato". I also admit I'm a graduate of electrical engineering and 2 things are not my strong point: biochem

Don't believe the hype in either direction. HFCS won't kill you or cause cancer anymore than sugar will but it doesn't act like regular sugar or regular cornsyrup. Those trying to lose weight or with diabetes especially should avoid HFCS. The most important thing to remember over-all is to just eat less sugar of any kind. Including superabundance of fruit juices if you have blood sugar issues. Eat less processed foods (i.e chips, candy, tv dinners, etc.) the less you eat, assuredly the better you will feel.

Read more from the corn industry at

http://sweetsurprise.com/
http://www.cornsugar.com/

Read more from others at:

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129971532

100% sweet, now with no HFCS!

2010-09-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Since July I've been slowly trying to wean myself off of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Why? My honest reason, is I'm tired of companies putting it in things I don't think it belongs in. Similar to my natural hair journey it's not nearly as holistic as it appears. I like sugar, sugar belongs in jelly, candy, sodas, not HFCS. If I pay for brand-name soda, it should have actual sugar in it. If I pay for for premium candy it "had better not" have HFCS, and yet it does.

But it was KFC that was the straw that broke this camel's back. I occasionally eat lunch there because I work in West Oakland where there is nothing near by. When I eat biscuits I enjoy a bit of honey and butter on them. I was reading the ingredients on the "Honey Spread" and first ingredient was high fructose corn syrup! That's when I realised that this HFCS had just gotten to out of hand. In Europe and Japan they don't put HFCS in every thing including sodas. I guess Americans, they assume we wouldn't notice. Admittedly it is has been very hard for me to stop eating HFCS. Especially when I was back home in the Deep South. I still have my slip-ups, and I have a jar of jam in my fridge that I intend to finish, I hate to waste food. But I'm not buying anything else that has HFCS. I have definitely gone most of the past 3 months not buy HFCS drinks and I can totally tell the difference when someone ask me to taste a drink that has HFCS in it. It has this lime-ish (like the fruit) taste that is very noticeable in ginger-ale and other clear sodas. I've learned a few things in the past few weeks that I think I will help anybody else who wants to eliminate HFCS.

If you love ketchup, stick with Hunt's. Hunt's has always been my personal favourite for it's thickness and salt:sugar ratio. But it's also one of the few major brands that by default has no HFCS, and it's still cheap. Just double check as Hunt's recently went with a new HFCS formula therefore older stock may have HFCS.
Check every label! Sauces, chips, not just sweet stuff. They hide this stuff everywhere
HFCS and corn syrup aren't the same thing. Corn syrup is distinct from high-fructose corn syrup, created when corn syrup undergoes enzymatic processing that produces a sweeter compound containing higher levels of fructose.
Learn to make your own sauces, it's not that hard. Especially if you love Chinese sauces like sweet and sour, duck sauce, etc. You can make a big batch and it will keep a pretty decent amount of time in your fridge. Otherwise, spend the extra dime and buy all-natural condiments.

I still eat my regular amounts of sweets, and I have a huge sweet tooth. I have noticed a change in my level of energy and sugar cravings. When I eat real ice cream, candy, pastries with real sugar I don't crave more. I don't get as sluggish afterwards, I keep that "sugar high" and the "crash" isn't as noticeable. Unfortunately for me I'm still addicted to "diet sugar" which isn't so healthy but I'm trying.

As I gain more info on common non-HFCS I will let you know.

have a happy Monday,

Jasmine 100% sweet, now with no HFCS

Class is in session

2010-09-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from my very long holiday in the South. I enjoyed it tremenodously. I got to see a lot of my friends and family. Alyce, my god-daughter has gotten so big and she's so adorable! The climate nearly killed me but other than that it was a very enjoyable trip.

Tomorrow I start back at work, prepping for my Intermediate Adult Digital Literacy class at OTX West.

I love teaching this class!

Basically this is a class all about Google. Topics covered during the class included: Gmail in immense detail, Google Docs, Picasa, and new this month is Google Voice! Most of my students are 50+ and it's really great to see them take hold of new technology instead of relying on others. I wish my parents would do that a bit more. :) Though they probably would if they had the same opportunity, for a free 3 week class on Google. Most computer classes that are free are pretty banal. They are for absolute beginners and many of them cover no internet skills whatsoever. Let's face it these days you need to know more than making folds and Word. Also many people just don't realise how much you can do with just one Google account. Even if they have a Yahoo! or Hotmail account they can set up importing or forwarding. Once they store pictures on Web Picasa they can use them in a variety of places, share them etc. With the Picasa software they can do simple edits, effects, and even make collages and slideshows pretty easily.

I know that some of my more tech savvy readers believe that are better options for Docs, Picasa, etc. however it's ease and effectiveness are the reasons why I enjoy teaching this course. I use Google Docs everyday for work and personal use. Google Forms are the best thing ever. Admittedly I even use Picasa at times when I just need a quick edit rather than using Photoshop or the GIMP. Most of my students will never need to use Photoshop to it's true capacity and it can be difficult to get the hang of, especially if you weren't born in the digital age. Sometimes we take for granted our ease to the computer and grow impatient when those who do not use this technology as much as we do.

Class begins on Tuesday and is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:oo - 3:00pm. The class is open to anyone who has an OTX computer, basic computer skills and a Gmail account. If you're interested in learning more visit the website at http://otxwest.org/classes.html

Hot like fire

2010-08-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

I reiterate what I've said 1000 times before.

I love the outdoors, I love being outside.

However I hate humidity and 95+ degree evenings where just standing outside will cause you to sweat buckets.

I remember now why I was so lazy here, the heat literally drains my energy.

I cannot wait to go back to Oakland and get back to that beautiful bay breeze.

Calorie Counting

2010-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since my gastric bypass surgery back in 2002, where I went from a ginormous 420lbs to being tolerably though still morbidly obese. I've know one thing: I have to write down what I eat. When I don't all kinds of junk food and too much of one thing (salt, sugar, carbs) or not of enough of something (protein, fibre) enter my body. Sometimes it won't cause me to gain weight, though eventually it will but it always has me feeling sluggish or ill for no "apparent" reason.

I've been using fitday since before my surgery and whenever I stick to it, I'm the better for it. It's amazing even with a 8-12 oz capacity how much I can put away in a day when I'm not paying attention.

But like a lot of people, it's sticking to it. Fitday is not as technology advanced as let's say FitClick, which I like but was almost too mcuh for me. Though I think that if you're in a group, even a small group like you and your friends it's a great site because they have groups and you can get a free diet and workout plans. If Fitclick had been around when I was in college and constantly tethered to my PC I'd probably be using it now. I especially liked the "tweet to food log" feature and the iphone app, not that have an iphone but that's awesome that they have one.

Fitday is simple, up until recently it didn't even have forum. You're just solo, enter in your food, your exercise. Make a weight goal. There's a little journaling area, and records for your mood, measurements, etc.

The thing I loved over at Fitclick was the fact that you could add other users' "Custom foods" so let's say ... Caramel Bugles, hich by the way are horribly addicting if you like sweet, or salty and sweet. I mean move over Kettle Corn, there's a new sheriff in town. In Fitclick you can search foods and if somebody else has entered that food in, you can add it to your foodlog.

The main reason I stick with Fitday is well, old habits die hard. Besides it has almost 8 years(off and on, albeit) of my nutritional history. Maybe one of these days I'll go and back log all the information into FitClick, that's the only way I can see me sticking with FitClick.

At Fitday it's the "old skool" way, create a custom food and then sit at your desk with the nutrition label or like most of us flipping from tab to tab, window to window at the nutrition table online. Since they don't have a mobile friendly site, I write down my food in a mini composition book, or on my DS with DS Organize. Then I go and find any nutritional information missing online. That gets tiring and Split Screen for Google Chrome is the only reason I have Google Chrome, for entering food log. Does anybody know if such a thing exists for Firefox? Fitday foodlog on the left and the nutrition on the right. It makes it way easier to enter in the food. The painful part? Realising just how much junk I ate Sunday during my ridiculous flight home. I'm determined not to gain any weight while I'm home, maybe even lose a pound or 2. So I have to keep track of just how much "Southern Comfort" I'm getting and not eat too much Krystal's and Waffle House.

Getting There...

2010-08-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such an "adventure".

Sunday started for me at 6:30 PST. I woke up, packed up my wii, packed up my ride's car with what seemed like a ton of luggage and headed for the airport with a stop at Jack in the Box along the way.

From Oakland to Seattle via Alaska Airlines. Arrived in Seattle around 11:00 am PST. I had a 3 hour layover, so I got some teriyaki, and some onigiri for the long second flight. Ironically my flight left in the international concourse with a bunch of people headed to Osaka. The only problem with partially understanding a foreign language is understanding it, and listening to silly student rumours.

My Delta flight from Seattle to Atlanta wasn't bad, the people I sat next to were nice, I didn't need a seatbelt extension, that's a plus. We had inflight television and a music station on the screen as well where you could make custom playlists. I finally saw the season 3 finale of Mad Men, thank you Delta. that was pretty awesome. 3 beverage services and free snacks, albeit peanuts and cookies but these days that's rare. I stashed a bag of cookies but stuck to my onigiri.

When I got to Atlanta, landing on the runway around 10:05pm EST, I thought I was going to run late for my 10:50 flight and anyone who's ever been to the Atlanta airport knows how crazy it is.

My flight was delayed until Midnite, where I spent some of the time speaking with a very pleasant mature Japanese lady.

I finally arrived in Columbia, SC at 1:00 am, getting to my lodging at 2am. So ridiculous.

My afternoon gone askew: Verdict reached in Mehserle trial:

2010-07-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

The only personal opinion I have is: I honestly expected voluntary manslaughter. It did catch me off guard. But the jury made the wisest choice they felt was best.

The craziest thing was seeing West Oakland unfold or rather fold up. Stores boarded up as if they are closed or preparing for a hurricane. The Citi Trends near Jack London I thought had closed permantly but I found they were in fact open, just boarded up for safety.

Around 3pm PST I got a call at OTX, one of the parents who and her child were in enrolled in tonite's THCP Class. She was the first I heard, a verdict is coming out in an hour. No sooner than I got off of the phone with her. It all started to close in.

Our office and volunteer coordinators (Jocelyn and Jeff) immediately prepared to get any volunteers who take public transportation back home. People were kind and reached out, offering rides to others who lived near them or along the way. Jocelyn called and canceled tonite's class. Soon our boss (Bruce) called and said "shut it down." We were on our way. Our intern's supevisor called and wisely demanded his high school age interns "Get out of West Oakland, now."

Soon we heard that 580 had became a mess, and the buses stopped coming through West Oakland. One of our loyal volunteers offered Jeff a ride home, leaving his bike behind so more can fit in the SUV. I was glad of that because at first it seemed we would follow in a car, Jeff a bit of the ways on his bike. I really hoped that most pedestrians and bikers got rides home today or went in large groups early.

We were just out the door, when we discovered one of our volunteers who is in wheel chair had been dropped off by ParaTransit, which was really unintelligent. AC Transit is part of Paratransit, so if AC Transit won't go to West Oakland why would Paratransit?

Bruce came back to OTX and said he would wait for Paratransit to pick up our volunteer. So we all headed out. On my way home I saw the cars packed on 580, small businesses closing up, people heading home. I admittedly noticed that indie stores with white employees making a concious effort to head home. I don't blame them. Sometimes when people are angry their anger is pointed at the wrong people, just for their appearance.

The creepiest thing was as we moved closer to my neighbourhood, the lack of buses. The only bus I saw was the Transbay F extremely packed.

My corner of Oakland is quiet, honestly more quiet than usual. Normally kids are playing and people are on the porch but after a few friendly debates every "hunkered down" for the evening.

In the hurry I left my lunch, and the cupcakes for the small birthday celebration for one of our techs. A set of digital photos I had printed is currently residing in the closed Walgreens on 14th and Broadyway.

I'm watching the news now, but honestly I don't expect the foolishness that happened when it first happened. I hope not at least. I'll spend the rest of the evening at home watching netflix and playing video games, just in case.

Stay Safe Oakland.

Don't let the stereotype become a truth.

Well I'll be here for a bit more

2010-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

OTX West offered me a part-time work as an instructor! I'll be teaching the Intermediate Class (for Adults) and hopefully soon I'll be able to teach the Take Home Computer Class as part of OTX's "Free Computers to Oakland Students grades 6-12".

This suppose to be interim work as I continue the search for an entry-level engineering positon, hopefully somewhere in the Bay otherwise back home (GA/NC/SC).

I have been trying so hard to find a job. Working tirelessly, I've probably applied to about 25 engineering positions here in the immediate bay (Oakland, SF, Hayward, etc.), San Jose and Silicon Valley; as well as back home in Georgia, North Carolina, and even BMW (Spartanburg, SC). I've had a few interviews but so far, no luck. I just need one good job, not everyone I apply to.

But I think my strategy has got to become more intense. There so many entry-levels out there these days that I've got to show the world that I am the ideal candidate. I am the creative, meticulous, intelligent promising engineer to be.

Otherwise I may have to go back to the restaraunt world. Not that's a bad thing, I love cooking. It's just I did go to school and earned a B.S EET for a reason. Besides I can be an engineer and still bake and cook as a hobby. A bit tough to be a hobbyist engineer, regulations and all that.

Happy Fourth o' July!

DK

Kanji, it's starting to sink in

2010-06-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have a lyric blog over there at Lyrically Speaking. You also know I love Jero, the blackanese enka singer. We gotta stick together. His new CD was released today in Japan, and I hope to go to Japantown and get it soon! I posted the lyrics to "Umiyuki" today at L.S, yes you japanese speaker/students/ anime fans the song means "Ocean Snow" It's a beautiful song. I found the lyrics and I was reading them I'm starting to recognize alot of Kanji. In fact all the boldfaced Kanji on the follow lyrics I've learned either growing up or in class.

凍える空から
海に海る雪は
波間にのまれて
跡形もなくなる

ねえ　愛してても
ああ　届かぬなら
ねえ　いっそ　この私
身を投げましょうか？

あなた　追って　出雲崎
悲しみの日本海
愛を見失い　岸壁の上
落ちる涙は
積もることのない
まるで　海雪

掌　伸ばせば
冷たい幻
世間を振り切り
宿命(さだめ)だと信じた

ねえ　愛されても
ああ　叶わぬ中
ねえ　いっそ　この私
殺してください

一人きりの出雲崎
明日(あす)を待つ傘もなく
濡れたこの髪が　芯まで冷えて
恨む言葉も
水面に消えて< まるで　海雪

ねえ　愛してても
ああ　届かぬなら
ねえ　いっそ　この私
身を投げましょうか？

あなた　追って　出雲崎
悲しみの日本海
愛を見失い　岸壁の上
落ちる涙は
積もることのない
まるで　海雪

From high within the frozen sky,
There falls the snow upon the sea.
It melts into the waves below.
Of it, there shall be no trace at all.

Oh… Though I love you so,
Ah… If I cannot let you know,
Oh… Perhaps I might as well.
Shall I throw even myself over the edge?

Chasing you here, to Izumozaki
The Sea of Japan filled with despair.
Above this cliff where love vanishes from my sight,
These tears falling down
Leave no drops behind.
So very like the ocean snow…

When I reach out my hand,
I catch that briskly chill mirage.
To cast away the world beyond -
I had believed that would be our fate.

Oh… Though you may care for me,
Ah… This love can never be.
Oh… Perhaps you might as well.
Please consent to take my life.

All alone here, at Izumozaki,
I wait on tomorrow, no umbrella in my hand.
With sodden hair, chilled to the core.
Even my bitter words
Disappear into the water’s swell.
So very like the ocean snow…

Oh… Though you may care for me,
Ah… This love can never be.
Oh… Perhaps you might as well.
Please consent to take my life.

Chasing you here, to Izumozaki
The Sea of Japan filled with despair.
Above this cliff where love vanishes from my sight,
These tears falling down
Leave no drops behind.
So very like the ocean snow…

Tech Support the hard way

2010-06-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone's gotta have a hustle, rite?

4 year degree? sure that's great, but during the recession it don't put turkey bacon on the table. I am in Americorps so I'm not permitted to be employed to work during my service. But there's nothing wrong with a dollar here and there on the side. Especially while I wait for my Food stamps to get re-activated... that's a rant for another day.

Alot of people who know me and who call OTX have computers already. Or want faster, shinier computers than our free beige desktops with the CRT screen. But then those break and all we can do is refer them to ReliaTech (which is pretty cheap I must admit) but even still some people want really basic help. Like recently, a senior citzen just wanted me to go to their house, set up their computer and transfer the data from their old computer to their new computer. They said everyone they called said they charged at least 75usd. So I offered to do it for a much lower fee.

I know that they had Windows 98 which worked fine but the modem had allegedly died but what I failed to ask was the internet connection.

dial up <<>

The new computer they bought was shiny, black, and new with Windows 7 premium 64 bit, cd/dvd burner, 2 gb ram, and a half TB of Hard Drive. And they wanted to use it with dial up.
But of course the computer didn't have a modem. So we rode down to my work, hoping I could find a modem to work with their computer. We install Windows XP 32bit but I figured I could maneuver something with drivers or something... no such luck. In the mean time I installed Office 2000, took off Norton and put on AVG. AVG isn't the greatest but who can afford Norton after the trial? I also installed the Net Zero software

So I called Fry's and they had the modem. So on Saturday we rode down there. I installed the modem and the internet still didn't work. Turned out it probably wasn't the old modem at all, but a broken adapter on the telephone line. Got that replaced and everything was fine. I installed the printer, and found them one of the sexiest rollerball mouses I've ever seen and all I have left to do is transfer the data from the old Hard drive to a flash drive. I didn't have an enclosure with me and because of the dial up connection I was unable to efficiently install drivers for my flash drive (b/c they had the first version of 98 and my drive works with SE3 and higher).

So I will do that tomorrow.

After which it's all said and done I have still charged less than 75 usd. We all know most companies would have charged over $100, especially because it's an in-home repair. Crazy am I? What could I do? A retired senior who just shelled out for a new pc, paid for the modem, and bought a flash drive? It's not their fault. Would I do it again? Not willingly. But then again, I'm learning to ask seniors what type of internet connection they have and their computer has. I still can't believe I put a56k modem in a Windows 7 machine! How random.

Well I'm certain that I got a good recommendation, which should generate more business for this ACE of all trades.

Cheers,

DK

My ode to hella

2010-06-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Since I've moved to Oakland there has been one word that I have heard over and over
"hella"
Now I know you here it back east but here everybody says it
little old Chinese women, young black men
Japanese teachers, and little blonde kids.
though some youth use "hecka"
while in earshot of adults
hella
She was hella mad
That was hecka fun
That came out of nowhere, like hella fast.

...gotta love it

Oh to be an engineer...

2010-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

instead of an engineer to be.

The job hunt continues both here and back home. As the proud recipient of a B.S in Electrical Engineering Technology, I'm most qualified for hardware, manufacturing, utilities, and various field engineering positions. I'm eligible in every state that matters to me at the moment to take the EIT and become a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

What I'd like most is to have a design engineer position but that's something that I've noticed goes to BSEE's rather than BSEET's. So while I search, I'll hold off on that dream till I have my treasured EIT certification. I'd also like working in green energy and computer/electronics as well.

I'm really hoping for a job where I can learn a lot and work alongside engineers in a dynamic environment. I think of engineering more of an art than a science, just art with rules like physics, lol. The recession is killing me, I have a lot of the qualities that people want, good leadership and team skills, communication skills, the degree, internship experience, natural motivation, problem solving skills, and knowledge. I'm also a pretty methodical and creative person. I love CAD, CSS, OOP, and 3 phase power. I have a fondness for electromechanics. Java is my favourite programming language, and yes I have a favourite.

But I realise that there about a million other people out there that are just like me. So I've just go to try harder.

Time is winding down

2010-05-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

I know I know... where have you been?

I have been so incredibly busy between my project at OTX, Japanese school, job hunting, and trying to have some type of regular social life. So clearly my blogs have suffered. I'd like to tell you I'm going to do better but I'm not going to make a promise I'm not sure I can keep, lol. Well I'm certainly going to try.

My time in Americorps is winding down. Get Connected Oakland is now simply a matter of maintenance and find more resources. I need to attend some beginning computer classes around here so I can add those to the database.

Alot of people back home still think that I'm just as Glenn Beck would say "a bureaucratic slave to the President" not my family and friends (of varying political views) but narrow-minded people. I don't doubt that Obama becoming the President fueled some people to become an Americorps. But not me, I joined because I found the Digital Service Arts Corps an opportunity to use my technical skills for good. Because as much as I love cooking I didn't want to spend another year in a kitchen not using any part of engineering degree. Nearly a year has passed, my Americorps experience has definitely been different than I anticipated. But how can you anticipate moving to Oakland, to work and live for a year on pauper's wages (half of pauper's wages).

As for what's next, it's all about the dollar , Canadian dollar, or yen. I'd like to stay here in the Bay and live in Oakland for a bit longer or go back to the South, namely North Carolina. I've got to go where the money goes though. I've had one interview and put in only about 10 job applications so far. It's just been hard to find jobs out there. So if anybody knows of a company in the Bay or on the East Coast that's looking for entry level engineers, let me know.

Zazzle

2010-03-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here's my Zazzle account and my first design on here. More to come soon

Resolutions Update

2010-03-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

Well a little over 2 months into the new year and when I make my resolutions I try to at least see what progress I've been making. Things have been a bit off-kilter due to my current state of homelessness (relatively, I have no place of my own, staying with a co-worker). But I think in despite of the random drama I am making some progress.

1. Get an engineering job, some sort of job using my degree
Things Completed:
Finally got my resume' completed. It's 2 pages though. I'm considering trying to make a 1 page version. Though I will turn in the 2 page version to my top choices because I think all the information is concise and relavent. I've applied to one position so far. Trying desperately to turn in my first Bay Area choice job this week. It's an EIT program. I think that next April I'm going to try and take the EIT test. I've got a list of about 8 positions (6 here in the Bay and 2 back in the South).
Things to do:
I need to find some more positions to apply to. Need to complete my curriculum vitae (complete resume' for my website.) Need to finish my website, my professional website with my CV, current projects, and portfolio. For anybody so inclined to check it out and they shall see the random, nerdy creative scientist I am. Plus I need to finish it for freelance graphic and jewelry work opportunities.

2. Pass the JLPT N5 or N4.
Well class at Soko Gakuen has actually been going relatively okay. The moving waltz threw me off a bit but I'm coming back full circle. I can honestly say I've completely know about 100 kanji (50 out of 75 learned in class plus another basic 100 I've had to learn out of life's necessity) .
Things to do:
I need to practise writing more and read more Japanese. Get back on Smart.fm.

3. Improve my body and soul
Things completed:
Well my hair health has improved, lol. I'm natural (last relaxer in 1999) and I'm growing my hair out. It's finally starting to all look the same and lay in the same direction. I have soft kinky wavy type 4 hair. It doesn't fro w/o gel and/or blowdryer, more of a half-fro. My hair grows in a V and the tip has reached bra-strap length. Next stop Midback length. Less split ends as well. I've been taking my vitamins and etc. everyday with only a 5% fail rate. Being more concious of my weekday eating. Eating more fruits and vegetables. Great Lent is here and because of my anemia I can't fast but I still fasting from alcohol.
Things to do:
I haven't really done a whole lot in this direction because of my moving fiasco. I need to find a place to stay that's my own because it would really ease some of the stress off of my body and soul. And I need to start doing crunches again. I haven't gained much weight (2lbs that keep coming and going week by week) but I still have much work.

4. Read more
Things Completed:
Amidst everything I have actually been reading more. Albeit Objective C books from the library and Breadmaking guides online. My dear loaned me a book a fantasy fiction and a co-worker lent "End of faith" which I started reading. Unfortunately at the moment I have no idea where either one of those books are, lost in the packing shuffle.
Things to do:
Find those books, lol. Start reading a short elementary japanese book, I need the practise.

...and now you know the rest of the story.
Next resolution update: end of May.

Wagashi Magic Part 1

2010-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

There are 3 things that you should know about me. I love to cook, I love sweets, I love learning. What better way to combine all the wonderful-ness than in a Wagashi workshop.

On Saturday I went to Japanese Cultural and Community Centre (JCCNC) for a wagashi workshop. The class is taught by Kimika Takechi and Larry Tiscornia who have both teach about Chanoyu (the Japanese tea ceremony) They have many decades of experience and study. The class was medium size about 16 people and was 25 USD (members get 5USD off, Thanks Mrs. H ^-^).

For the uninitiated, wagashi in the American sense is similar to Tea snacks (crumpets, biscuits, etc.) but in another respect it's so much more. It's sacred and beautiful part of the chanoyu and many learn and practise years the old tradition. Most Japanese order wagashi these days from Wagashi-ya. It is important to note that Wagashi-ya and Pan-ya are two different things.

We learned how to make 2 wagashi from start to finish. Uguisumochi and hichigiri. Uguisumochi means nightingale rice cakes, it is designed to remind you of the nightingale which begins singing as spring approaches. Hichigiri literally means pull and cut and is often served in Kyoto during the Hinamatsuri (Girl's day). The class was part demonstration and part hands-on, which I loved. We learned how to make An (shiro an and regular an) and the mochi that is used in many types of wagashi, including daifuku.

It can be intimidating to try to make wagashi but it's not really so hard for the basic mochi based. Kanten (agar agar/gelatinous) may be different. It many ways there are advantages over wagashi making to baking. I kept trying to use as little shiratamako (a type of sweet rice flour) as possible during forming the uguisumochi, afraid it would make it tough as flour will do with pastry. But this is not the case, you can always dust it off at the end. Also the mochi that we made in the microwave, the first time Takechi-san forgot to add sugar and it got lumpy. That can be fixed by heating it over the stove. If An is to thick you can add mitsu (simple syrup) if it's sticky you can let it cook longer. As long as you know what to do, it can be pretty foolproof.

Next time, I'll talk more about the specific type of wagashi I made, including recipes.

Moving again: things learned

2010-02-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Well things have come to an impasse with me and my live in landlord, so I'm looking for another place to stay.

I don't believe in the "cuss you out on the internet" theory, let me just say that double standards and control-ism is not my thing. Neither is age-ism for that matter. He has a way of making everything somebody else's fault, not accepting responsibility. But I've never had a roomie leave me, and I've only mutually(i.e no fighting or police involvement) decided to move twice for the better part of 8 years of living with roommates. About 80% of the people I've lived with I'm still in contact with (albeit this is thanks to facebook), basically people like me and I'm a good roommate. My landlord has had 3 roommates leave in 12 month period. Let the facts stand for themselves.

I know that everything happens for a reason, there was some reason the Lord wanted me to live there for the time I did. It was close enough for me to bike or walk to work, it was near a major street and lots of public transportation so I got to get the hang of BART and AC transit. It also allowed to be able to maneuver my way around here. So now that I'm moving again I kinda have an idea of what I'm looking for and what I want. Some of things I learned were:

1. When a person says they don't like having room-mates, they've never had room-mates until now. Especially when they're more established, red flag.

2. When somebody gives 30 days notice the day you move in, definite red flag.

3. When somebody shows you who they are (yelling, slamming, calling cops) and say I'd never do that to you. Don't believe that.

4. At my age, I'm looking for people who've been in school, military, corps, etc. Basically people who've lived with room-mates in the recent past.

5. With that said, I think I've been scarred out of renting a room in somebody's house. Looking for a more roommate situation.

6. There's nothing wrong with having house rules, it doesn't make you uptight and especially if I do rent a room in somebody's house that's got to be there. It sounds silly but to me my biggest pet peeve was him leaving his dishes for days, piling up and then him fussing because I'd come home at nite wash his dishes, cook something and then didn't have the energy to wash my own pan.

7. This is the biggie: just go by the lease. If you're lease says rent plus utilities, pay the utilities. Even if they say "I didn't know you're a student whatever, don't worry about it", pay the utilities. Though if you're in an all inclusive situation and you can spare it, it is nice to offer to contribute during the winter months or if you've had a guest stay for more than a weekend.

I've learned so much in the past few months. Living with room-mates before gave me insight but this experience has been majorly eye-opening.

till next time,

DK

OOP, you can't escape it

2010-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

OOP, oops..., Object oriented programming - to some EET's/EE's it is their favourite subject, to some unrelated, to me? A neccesary tool that finds it way into my creative process and inescapable.

As of late I've had an idea for an iPhone app. No I don't have an iPhone or even an app based mobile but sometimes great ideas aren't necessarily for you. Like my senior project, the coffee maker - I do not like coffee that much. As an EET, I was required to take 3 programming classes, (Visual Basic, and Java 1 and 2), additionally I took C++ before I took Java. Of course this all sets you up for the programming that finds its way into your other classes and projects. Additionally being the nerd that I am, I do have a small affinity for OOP though admittedly I wouldn't want to do it full time for a career.

I had no idea where to start but luckily there's lots of information on the internet about iPhone App development. (This site in particular, the iPhone OS reference library) Objective-C is quite similar to C so there is a slight adjustment in my mind that needs to be changed (Java is my absolute favourite programming language, "evar".) but the concept is still the same. I only wish that I knew more people in my life that shared my creative approach to technology so I could have a bit more help with this project.

I know I start a lot of projects and don't finish them. Mainly to due to the fact that sometimes I just have too many ideas, but I have been trying to do better at documenting my work so when I pick things back up I don't have to re-invent the wheel. Also been trying to at least draw things out when I can generate the words for some ideas.

till next time,

DK

Happy Birthday Vivian

2010-01-25T16:19:00.000-08:00

Today is the birthday of my dear friend Vivian, she would have been 26 today. Vivian committed suicide last September. I really rather not go into my personal thoughts but only say that, if you or somebody you know may be in danger please call 1800273TALK (8255)

This is for Vivian and the Scott and Hsu familia

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

1. Get an engineering job, some sort of job using my degree
2. Pass the JLPT N5 or N4.
3. Improve my body and soul
4. Read more

Get an engineering job: When my year at OTX is over I would like to have a job lined up. I know that this is something I have to start working on now. I'm not sure where I want to work in the South, the Bay Area, or somewhere else. So I'm just going to look and apply to whole bunch of places. Since my degree's in Electrical engineering technology I'm looking into working for a utility or in manufacturing. Electric Distribution and Electric Machinery were my focus, aside from design (which I need a MS Eng or P.E to really use since I'm an EET) Some place where I can either do some field work with engineers who do design. Since that's my ultimate goal. Pretty much some real world engineering practice so I can work towards getting P.E in whatever state I decide to stay in for awhile.

Pass the JLPT: Well in 2009 I took the JLPT and while I still don't know if I actually passed or not, this year I intend to either pass the level I may have failed or pass the next highest level. I'm going to enroll in my first ever Japanese class to improve my grammar and try to practice my reading more.

Improve my body and soul: Taking a cue from 2009 I think that I did way better when I was just focusing on improving myself rather than trying to lose x-amount of pounds. My anemia and other vitamin defiencies haven't been so great the past few months so I need to eat more fruits and vegetables, and protein (which I don't really eat a lot of). It is possible to gain weight after gastric bypass, something I really proved in 2008 but the good thing is, it's a lot easier to get back on track at least in my opinion. I figure if I'm eating my daily requirement of fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, and protein... my stomach won't have room for junkfood. Well it worked last year. Also while most of my exericing is fine, I need to do some more core exercise. everything's firming up but my gut. When I'm trying to be healthy, I feel better so that's the main goal

Read more: I didn't read very much in 2009 and that's something I hope to remedy in 2010. I love reading, non-fiction and fiction. The first book on the list is some review: Basic Electronics. ^-^

2009 Resolutions - how did I do?

2010-01-01T10:54:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everybody!

Every year tons of people make these resolutions. This year I'm happy to say that I did in fact do all my 2009 resolutions which gives me motivation to work towards my 2010 resolutions. What were my 2009 resolutions?

1. Finish college B.S EET awarded for May 2009 (despite being out of school since July 08 :P)
2. Take the Japanese Language Profiency Test Level 3 or 4 Took the JLPT 4 at SF State in Dec
3. Volunteer in Americorps or similar organisation for a year Volunteering until late July 10 at OTX
4. Take better care of my body and soul Lost about 40lbs, started exercising more, eating more healthy foods.

I think the key for me this year was to make realistic goals and not have set numbers. I just wanted to take the JLPT, not necessarily pass it. Because of this my Japanese has improved significantly. To volunteer, not specifically go across the country for a year. I never would have chose to go to Oakland, but God knew what I needed and I am grateful. To take better care of my body and soul, not to lose x amount of pounds. Ironically enough this is the most weight I've lost in a year since the few years after my gastric bypass surgery. Even though I was just losing weight that I gained in 2008, that's okay. I'm really proud of myself, I gotta be honest.

I'm still contemplating exactly what my 2010 goals are, so look for that on Monday.

The JLPT is over...

2009-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

So on Sunday I got up and went to SF State to take the JLPT. One of my 2009 New Year's Resolutions was to take the JLPT, note I didn't say "pass" the JLPT. lol.

You're not getting any specifics from me on this year's test. I don't need the Japan Foundation after me. I will say that I think I did okay but I don't think I passed. The grammar part was very hard for me. The vocabulary section went very well. The listening portion went okay, I did get kinda confused on one part.

I've decided to enroll in my first ever Japanese class in January at Soko Gakuen over in San Francisco. I figure I've taken English classes almost every year until college to learn grammar and sentence structure. Why not take a Japanese class?

Of course the next question is, "So did Smart.fm, not help you?"

It helped tremendously with vocabulary and kanji. I couldn't have breezed through the fist section without the kanji lists on smart.fm. But grammar is tricky to learn from a screen and even people who speak a language can't always explain why certain grammar is a certain way. Remember that the next time you get frustrated at somebody who's first language is not English. It's easy to learn words and kind of string them together, takes patience to learn to read. But modifiers, verb tenses and things. Not so much.

I'm taking a break from regular study of Japanese until January. I still have to use it and I read it almost every day so it's not going anywhere. Next year the JLPT is being reformatted so depending on how I did this year I'll either take the N3 or N4.

The old format

**Test content summary**
Level	Kanji	Vocabulary	Listening	Hours of Study	Pass Mark
4	~100 (103)	~800 (728)	Beginner	150 (estimated)	60%
3	~300 (284)	~1,500 (1409)	Basic	300 (estimated)
2	~1000 (1023)	~6,000 (5035)	Intermediate	600 (estimated)
1	~2000 (1926)	~10,000 (8009)	Advanced	900 (estimated)	70%

The revisions for the new format.

N1: the same passing level as the original level 1, but able to gauge slightly more advanced skills, possibly through equating of test scores
N2: the same as the original level 2
N3: in between the original level 2 and level 3
N4: the same as the original level 3
N5: the same as the original level 4

There will be a Reading Test (yomu shiken) and a Listening Test (kiku shiken). The former will incorporate the Writing-Vocabulary and Reading-Grammar sections of the existing tests, while the latter will take the place of the Listening section of the existing test

A lot of people complain since next year you have to pass every section, this year you could just average out to a passing rate. But for me it maybe an advantage to have the reading and vocabulary section together. My vocabulary is definitely in the currently 2-3 range. And my kanji level rite now is around 250 of recognition about 180 truly learned. My grammar is below level 4, for sure but I am confident with a proper class I can pick it up, it's in my blood. But chances are I'll be taking the N4 next year unless I miraculously ace the test.

In the end I can say I've learned a lot of Japanese this year and I'm proud of myself. I've grown up with it and took it for granted but in the past year or so I made a conscious effort to improve myself and I made great progress.

We'll see in March what happened.

Now it can be told?

2009-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

So far the OTX project is going okay. At times it's one of those things where I have so many ideas it cannot translate into words. I'm very excited about Get Connected Oakland. Working hard on the site and a launch is coming quite soon.

Unfortunately I have one more project that I am supposed to do. My digital story. I hate talking about myself. I don't mind talking about what I do at work, or about math, anime, video games, cooking, art. I'll tell you about in plain english, broken japanese, I'll even go for it in german. But talking about me? I hate that. I'm supposed to talk about why and how I came to OTX. It's hard to say.

I mean 18 months ago I knew exactly where I was headed in life. I was getting ready to graduate with my B.S in engineering technology. Headed towards a career in field engineering in Georgia. I had boyfriend of 4 years, we were on the path to marriage. Yea I knew exactly what I was going to do. Get my Engineering in Training Certification work towards my Engineering Licence . Stay in the South and probably stay there for the duration. Then the recession happened and everything changed and suddenly I found myself back to plan B, working as a cook in a country club. It seemed that everyone around me was getting married, settling down and I was feeling aimless. I knew I had a choice to make . I could work as cook until the recession ended or use my degree for good works. A few of my friends were already in Americorps but I was looking for away to use my nerdy-ness for good. I found out about the Digital Service arts Corps and OTX. It was the most amazing thing I had ever heard of. But it was way out in California. I've travelled alot but I've never lived that far away for that long away from my family. I was born and raised in the South and I was thinking "Am I ready?"

Well I guess I was, coz I'm here now. In Oakland, California which at times can feel like another country but I like it pretty good. No Waffle House though :(. I get to help eliminate the digital divide by working on this project, but also helping with classes, I've even helped with a lab or 2.

Yea things rarely go according to plan, but this time I couldn't have been happier.

Mama's visit

2009-10-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

My mother came to visit me from South Carolina last weekend. It was so good to see her and the time went by too fast. Mama's been to San Francisco before but she's never been over to the East Bay and so I was super psyched to show her around. I wanted her and the folks back home to know that just because I'm living in Oakland it doesn't mean I'm living in distressed circumstances. Also that there is waaay more to the Bay Area than San Francisco.

We stayed over in a hotel in Emeryville, which can be a shock. This area is so weird because things can change so much from one block to the next. It can also make finding living arrangements very difficult. We went to Lake Merritt, which is really lovely. We went to JapanTown over in San Francisco. Of course we went to my job, the great Oakland Technology Exchange she met some of my co-workers. Bruce, the exective director was back in my neck of the woods (Savannah, GA) and Naomi had the flu.

I think now that my mother is reassured that I'm fine out here. I imagine it's hard to have your only born child almost 3000 miles away for so long. This is the longest I've ever gone without seeing my mother, 3 months. When I come home for Christmas it will be the absolute longest I've gone without seeing 46, almost 6 months. I've done a lot of travelling but it's usually with my family or I'm back in a month or so. I've never been so far, so long. I miss everybody so much and I can't wait to get back to the South for the holidays.

The Alameda County Social Dance...

2009-10-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally after tons of miscommunication and crazy-ness, and line waiting( I mean lots of line waiting). I finally have regular food stamp benefits.

I know some people look down on people who have food stamps. They have a certain stigma about them. I think this recession has shown that poverty has many faces. Honestly, I've made much less in my life before and didn't qualify for food stamps. I do feel like that since I've been a good hardworking tax paying citizen and National Services said that as a VISTA I qualified for food stamps.

The process is a long and confabulated one. Back in August when I finally had a room to call my own I went and applied for the first time. I started at 8:30am and by 4:00pm it was over. It was very simple, I showed up with my Americorps letter and lease and I received pro-rated Expedited Food Stamps. After that is when the fun started, partially induced by who I rent from, for failing to give my rent receipt in a timely fashion which caused me to be denied for regular food stamps. I admit that was my bad, but talk about punishment for making one mistake. That was the first week of September and I spent the rest of the month calling, and going up there about once a week to no avail.

Waiting really is the hardest part. It's at least a 2 hour ordeal. If you get there at 8:30 when they open there's already a line. Don't even think you can get this done during your lunch hour. They're closed Noon to 13:00 for lunch and the line for the afternoon start around 12:30, by the time 13:00 rolls around there are easily 50 people in the line. Did I mention this is the line just a get a number? Not be served? With number in tow you wait for it to be called, fill out some forms, sometimes wait again.

Can I really complain? Should I? It wasn't really until they "lost" my information that my patience started to wear. I went up there to reapply, they told me I couldn't because I hadn't been off of food stamps long enough. I filled out another form and gave the lady a copy of my rent reciept, bank slip, pay stubs, and Americorps letter. When I got in touch with my case worker she never got it. I had to reapply again. Very firmly and as polite as I could muster I explained my fatigure. My case worker is very helpful and nice, when I went up there she came out so I wouldn't have to wait so long and gave me the right forms and I even got my September benefits. Honestly the majority of the problem just lies within the system itself. They're overwhelmed, it's a fact. The expedited food stamps and the regular food stamps process are different and the people in each department don't understand the other's requirements, which causes major problems when you transfer from expedited to regular.

I pray that I'm never in a situation where I'll need to apply for food stamps again, because honestly I think I'll just stick to potatoes and franks.

I still stand by the theory that the system is designed so that a decent percentage will give up before or during the application process, or will be frustrated and have a row with one of the workers causing them to escorted from the building. I'm not saying it's a person, it's just the flawed government system.

...and these are the same folk some of you want to run the health-care system?

My first youtube video

2009-09-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I took the plunge and posted my first video on YouTube. It's taken me a long time to "get" YouTube and in many ways I still don't. Especially the viral video thing. Here at OTX, we show people how to use Movie Maker to make slideshows and for digital story telling. I have yet to do my digital story because I honestly hate talking about myself but I'm working on something as we speak.

This slideshow is suppose to be about the beginning of this journey I've taken. Leaving my home in the South where all my family and friends are, to come to California. The music is from Season 1 of Mary Tyler Moore show. I recorded it with Audacity while the dvd was playing on my computer. Enjoy!

Irish Creme Brownies

2009-09-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

I've been craving brownies for about a week now so last nite I finally decided to whip up a batch. At first I was wanting something dark that would go well with raspberries. Which lead me on a search for something with Chambord (a french liquer made from raspberries, vanilla and other wonderful things) I found Tiger and Strawberries' recipe for Chambord Souffle Brownies and the irish creme version. A recipe good enough to induce marriage proposals? ^-^ had to give it a go.

As usual even with a first time recipe I already change a few things. Also I don't have an electric mixer yet, so even with my tired arms it didn't get as fluffy as it could've. They still taste so good! My room-mate, my co-workers, and my crush and I love em. I personally enjoy these with coffee milk, I know that isn't very Dixie of me but coffee milk is good stuff.

Irish Creme Souffle Brownies from Tigers & Strawberries

Filling Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's

Brownie Ingredients:
12 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, chopped finely
4 tablespoons butter
4 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Bailey's
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Method:

Set rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 9 inch glass baking pan by lining completely with foil, allowing about three inches overhang on all sides. (Use one sheet of foil going in one direction, and then another sheet going the other way.) Carefully press the foil so it follows the shape of the pan as well as possible. Leave the overhangs standing upright. Spray the pan well with Baker’s Joy.

Beat together filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

Melt chocolate together with butter over a hot water bath, or in microwave. (If you use the microwave, start on thirty seconds, and take out the chocolate and stir. If it still needs more time, go in five second increments–do not burn the chocolate!) Cool to just about body temperature.

Beat together eggs, vanilla, Chambord and sugar, until pale yellow and quite frothy. Add chocolate and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Put onto high speed and beat for one minute, or until stiffened slightly, and lightened in color.

Stir flour, baking powder and espresso powder together to combine well. Sprinkle over chocolate mixture and stir in slowly, scraping down side of bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed to incorporate air–beat until mixture lightens considerably and is quite stiff and fluffy–about one and a half to two minutes.

Spread half the brownie batter into the bottom of the pan in as even a layer as possible. It will be difficult to spread so pat it down as much as possible without compressing it overmuch. Spread the cream cheese mixture over it. Dot the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese, then draw a spatula or knife through, marbling it as shown in photograph above.

Take the remaining brownie batter, and divide into fourths. Dollup each forth into a quadrant of the pan on top of the cream cheese batter, then dabbing and pressing, coax the chocolate layer to cover the cream cheese layer as much as possible.This is tricky–the chocolate is stiff and hard to work with, but it eventually will work out if you keep at it.

Bake at 350 degrees for forty-five to fifty minutes. As described above, the brownie will puff up and seem quite liquid in the middle when it is done. That is fine–that is the way it is supposed to be. Take it out, set it on a wire rack on top of the stove,. turn off the oven and let it cool completely before lifting the brownies out of the pan by using the foil as handles.

Cut into tiny pieces, keeping or discarding the thin crisp layer at the top as desired.

31

2009-09-08T09:21:00.001-07:00

I don’t really have a southern accent.
I use southern phraseology “Fixing to do such and such”
“Reckon I will leave now”. For fun I say things like ‘Look at that crick ret there’ but

I will admit that I’ve played it up since I’ve been in California especially when talking about the south. But now that I’m settling into myself it’s fading again. In fact my regular voice sounds incredibly yankee. But that’s okay.

See more progress on: list 100 random things about myself

On the backburner

2009-09-03T23:17:00.001-07:00

This will have to go to the back burner for awhile until I take the JLPT in December and my favourite list on smart.fm needs to get fixed.

See more progress on: improve my German

30.

2009-08-28T17:02:00.001-07:00

I like golf. Maybe it’s because I’m from Augusta, GA. But I love going to the driving range with friends, learning to playing golf and Pangya the golf MMORPG

See more progress on: list 100 random things about myself

me and the health care system ...

2009-08-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit busy and honestly not a whole lot of news going on.

I had to go in hospital Thursday morning and didn't get out until Friday evening. And they still didn't know what the world was wrong with me. I promise you had I not had any type of insurance they probably would've turned me out Thursday nite. I don't even have actual insurance, just my Americorps health benefits. That was Highland hospital in Oakland, by the by. I never thought that I would miss the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) but I do. They say if you're in a gun fight Highland is the place to go, which means they've got a great trauma team but for things that need monitoring and tests... not so much.

I really don't have a whole opinion on what the government should do about the health care system. My 'cousine' in the UK tells me that her opinion of public health care is that it's like public school, it all depends on where you are. Now I don't really know if that's the case, because anywhere I've been where they had public health care I haven't had to use it (knock on wood). But if it's really like public school system, Heaven help us. To be fair, I'm not a fan of regular public school but I never went to regular public school just a magnet school and later a state university so it's a bit different but that's another post.

I know the President says he doesn't want public health care but it seems that the folk in my bracket and below want it, well the non-conservative ones. I don't understand why health care is so expensive. Even with my health benefits I personally am going to be too upset when I get that bill, because the didn't do anything! They kept me overnite and I spent 24 hours in hospital and I spent 20 hours of it waiting. Poor communication and ridiculous questions. One of the doctors said 'You have highly unusual symptoms' to which I answered

'Yea I know it's unusual that's I said 'I need to go to hospital'" some of the nurses laughed but it's no laughing matter. And if health insurance becomes more accesible to more people than more folk in Oakland are going to know exactly what I'm talking about. I won't claim to know the solution, something needs to be done. I know a lot of people have to use the Emergency room as their doctor because they have no health benefits but as for me... I think I shall try to get a good job with some kicking benefits since I'm in a position with education to do that.

The great work begins

2009-08-11T12:19:00.003-07:00

So now I am starting to lay down the foundation for the Get Connected Oakland website. With the help of one of my co-workers we've got a pretty nifty logo in the works. The website colours I haven't quite become 100% satisfied with a palette yet but COLOURlovers.com is helping out an awful lot.

The purpose of the Get Connected Oakland (GCO) website is to be a sort of online database of resources for Oakland residents. It's going to have a map page for physical POI's as well as a resource page for online resources. The online resource page will be fairly easy once I get all of the resources up there, the map thing is a whole horse of another colour.

The thing is I'm using Google Maps to do several types of maps (Access, Tech support, etc.) and I love that when you're logged into a Google account you can layer several maps over each other with the API. I just wish there was a way to embed this into a website so that even you are not logged into a Google account you could layer the maps to see what different types of resources are near your location.

Since OTX has collaborated with GoogleServes before I'm working on an e-mail to Google to see if they can help me out. A thought that hasn't quite added up in my head. I'm e-mailing Google to ask them to do something specific for my organisation? Because what Google has right now isn't doing it for me? Of course I won't word it like that, but it's still kind of daunting to me to e-mail Google.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

More about OTX West

2009-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been talking for awhile now, even before I got here about the amazing place I'm working at now. It's called Oakland Technology Exchange West, OTX, or OTX West for short. I'm now part of a great force helping to eliminate the digital divide and reduce technological waste.

Since 1999 OTX-West has provided over:

10,000 computers to Oakland Public School families free of charge
10,000 computers to Oakland Public School classrooms and community access labs across Oakland
Diverted over 700 tons of electronic waste from landfills for productive use or responsible recycling

Isn't that awesome!? There are two ways that it works. For Oakland students 6th -12th they can enroll in a 3 hour class to learn about the computer they will recieve and then on Distribution Day they recieve a refurbished and fantastic computer with Windows XP and a bevy of open source software (OpenOffice, Gimp, Audacity, Kompozer, etc.).

The other way is by volunteering, there are certain days a week or in a month where you can volunteer. For every hour you volunteer you get a service buck, once you've collected enough service bucks you can get all sorts of neat things. Here's an example, a family of four can volunteer for 5 hours and they will have 20 service bucks, enough to get a free basic computer. A person can volunteer 2-10 hours and get a printer. They have lots of neat things.

If you read this and your in the Oakland or surrounding areas and you have computer equipment, tv's, printers, etc. I highly encourage you to donate them to OTX, it's tax deductible and no cost to you. A lot of computer recycling places charge you to recyle your computer! And then it just goes to a landfield.

Oakland Technology Exchange West is located at:
1680 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
For more information please visit the website: http://otxwest.org

Like a whole 'nother country

2009-08-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

That's kind of how I feel.

It's been a week in California, almost 2 weeks away from home and it still in some ways feels like a dream. Sometimes I feel like I'm in another country. Part of me feels like that my travels in life have made me prepared for some things and growing up in diverse town gives me a better edge than being from some parts of the South. But a week in and I still have this need to compare everything to 'back home' but it has only been a week. And I'm in a place I've never even seen until that Thursday nite when I walked out of the Oakland Airport into cool and foggy scene.

It's also very interesting how back home I felt a touch liberal than the average person and here in some ways I feel like a prude. A lot of people talk to Mary Jane it seems. Not that I care, but it's still illegal.

I had a lot of ideas about what I thought this part of the country would be like. Just like how some people out here have their misconceptions about the South. So far the two biggest misconceptions falling down on my end are: people aren't nice and friendly (not that everyone back South is either) and that there were no fat people <-- that one I was so serious about.

I'm not saying it's a good thing that there are a decent amount of overweight people, it only proves that the obesity epidemic is a nation-wide problem. But as rather large person myself and still in my youth, I seriously had a fear I'd be some fat freak of nature. And even some of my friends and family were concerned that there would be nowhere for me to shop out here.

It's going to be interesting what other new things I find out as this year unfolds.

Room Search Continues

2009-07-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

The room search in East Bay has been insane. Between the deposits and the eclectic lifestyles of some people seeking room-mates it's been a lot more tedious than I imagined. All I want is a space of my own, with walls and a door. Not horribly small, that's empty and simple with a decent kitchen to cook in, and cable and internet. Without an extraordinary amount of domestic animals.

Easier said than done, especially on my Americorps stipend. Maybe it's just me but I refuse to pay 400 USD to share a room with a stranger, or really anybody for that matter outside of an significant other. Here are just some of the phrases I've read while room search

- 420 friendly
- 420 all day every day
- $500 roomshare
- Zen Catholic Gentlemen will have...
- Apartment for free in exchange for cooking cleaning as well as some behind close doors services
- the lovely ladies who give us unlimited joy, and also eggs.
- vegan household : no animal products allowed in kitchen
- television free community: so we can create rather than imitate.

I thought I was picky. Then there's the whole 'what's safe, what's not'. People outside of Oakland swear I should head to surburbia. People in Oakland say stay away from East Oakland, but some say it's west Oakland. I've seen parts of San Leandro that I rather had not. I've met some interesting and colourful people. I've seen some ridiculous prices. I'm starting to get a feel on things and I think that this housing search may take a tad longer than I originally anticipated.

Wish me luck!

California here I am

2009-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

So I'm here, even though it still hasn't completely sunk in. I am in fact in California.

The PSO (Pre-service Orientation) in Boston was fantastic. I really had a great time and met a bunch really cool people. It was friendly group, wasn't even untill that night I even noticed I was the only 'outwardly appearing' black girl. So that's a good sign ne? We went to Bangkok Blue our last night out and I got to try Thai iced tea for the first time, it sort of tastes like royal milk tea but sweeter... Which reminds I really could go for some royal milk tea about now.

The flight to Oakland was not fun, especially the first one. The second was better though I've seen '17 again' twice now and can tell you just about everything about it. Not a horrible movie but definitely not good enough to watch twice in a row, in my opinion.

When I got to Oakland, I met Bruce the director of OTX-West and then later Domingo(sp?), they're very nice people and I'm looking forward to this next year. The next day I met Naomi, Joceylin(sp) and Josh also very awesome people. OTX is really huge, a lot bigger than I expected and Oakland is way nicer than I hoped for. There are lot of trees so far I've seen in East Bay, very green. That's good. I don't mind urban space but the lack of greenery sort of gets to me.

For instance when I was visiting San Francisco yesterday, I was near Union Square. Honestly I felt like I was Manhattan. Which is great the first couple of times but it was like 'meh, been there done that'. I know that not all of San Fran is like that and I'm looking forward to exploring the area.

First things first however, I'm looking for a room somewhere in East Bay. The search has just begun. Right now Bruce and his wife have graciously open their home to me and I really appreciate it. I was semi-concerned that I'd be living under a bridge somewhere. But now that I've seen the listings I feel it is possible to a place to stay within a decent range.
l
Well I'm off for a bit to do some things in the room. Found a neat sounding place on Craigslist that I hope we can go see later today. Wish me luck.

Last day in Augusta

2009-07-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today

It's hitting me harder every hour that I'm leaving my home town. And yes, I love my hometown. It's not Atlanta, but for me that's why I love it. I grew up on the south side of town, near the country with the chickens and horses. There are a lot more asian influences on my side of town than one would expect. A few Asian grocers, lots of Chinese restaraunts, Korean noodle shops and pool halls. There's a diversity I love, with the singular being the southern-ness. I am truly going to miss the south in ways I didn't believe I would. There are things I won't miss: not being to go into Beaver House Inn in Statesboro,Ga or Maurice's BBQ in Columbia, SC because of my race. Being cautious around Whites who wear stars and bars, if I don't know them. The swelter heat and humidity that will knock you down when you open the door some days. But though I haven't really been adapted to the heat it is apart of my life story, my normalcy even the flawed parts.

I spent the last nite of Augusta visiting my god-daughter who just turned 1 and my friend her mother. We played UNO and had a great time.

That weekend I went to my mother's house in South Carolina for a fish fry and low country boil. Next morning I had fish and grits... I'm going to miss grits.

But I look forward to the journy ahead.

29.

2009-07-07T07:35:00.001-07:00

Poison Ivy…quite possibly the only thing that doesn’t break me out.

go figure.

See more progress on: list 100 random things about myself

13 days left

2009-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Can you believe so few days until I head out into the great unknown? In 2 weeks I will be going 3000+ miles away from home and staying there for a year. I am totally wigging out, when I start to think about my pulse starts to race. I haven't been feeling very well the past few days. I think my nervous-ness about this trip is actually causing me to break out.

I had been organising things to pack for my year in California but now I have started the packing.

First the suitcases and then the things that will be shipped...including my jewellry making supplies full of metal wire, blades, and whatnot, I'm sure the United Postal services is going love that package. Decided what to take and not to take has become a fun adventure. I only know people who have been in NCCC which is more mobile and involves camping at times and disaster relief. I don't know anybody who has moved to another state for Vista. In vista you have to find a place and live and be semi-normal... on poverty wages. Everytime I tell my family I'm trying to find a room for rent in the Bay Area for und 500 dollars they look at me like I'm crazy but honestly it's true. Just keep praying about it.

Americorps and I are still trying to get this whole flight situation figured out. I requested to be flown out of Columbia or Charlotte to Boston and then I'm suppose to go to Oakland, Cali. Somehow that turned into Atlanta to Boston and then to Dallas and then to Phoenix. I wonder if there's another 'Jasmine' in this CTC class? Probably, it is a 'common uncommon' name. But I think it's finally been worked all out. That was so odd.

If anybody has any tips on packing for a long journey I'd greatly appreciate it.

RIP Michael Jackson

2009-06-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I'm late. Been travelling throughout the south. But seriously, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Michael Jackson. Bad things come in 3's but that was four. Though some say that Mays and McMahon collectively make one. aww that's not rite.

My sister loved (loves) MJ. When we were in Arkansas, she was just talking about making the laugh in Thriller her ringback before 'it' happened. I mean she had the thriller jackets (black and red ) went to the concert. it was ridiculous. And that was my introduction to Michael Jackson.

I remember being in grade school when 'Remember the Time' came out. When people would bust out with 'It doesn't matter if you're black or white'. My personal favourite memory is of my big crush of highschool. When we used to go on long field trips I would listen to 'Butterflies' on my portable CD player and gaze at them. (so look for that on 'Lyrically Speaking') LOL. terribly silly but you know how young love is. It's one of his less popular song but you have a crush, that is *the* song to listen to.

MJ went through a lot of changes with his looks, if he would've stayed the way he looked in 'Don't Stop till you get enough' (I'm not going to front, he was a cutie in that video). He caused a lot of controversy and somethings we will never know. One of his last appearances was a few years ago in my hometown of Augusta,GA at James Brown's funeral. I have a definite feeling his persona is going the way of Elvis. (and poor Lisa Marie, to have to go through this twice).

The nite he died I watched BET for the first time in years. his music bridged so much. His dance moves were so smooth.

Nerdy Pick up lines

2009-06-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, on twitter #geekpickuplines was a trending topic. I still don't know why but it was. I was ace-ing them. As a self proclaimed nerd, I think that nerdy pick up lines are hilarious. The question is, do they work? does anybody actually use them? In my experience I've actually had two pitched at me, in jest of course. But it must of worked, we dated. I used to say them to my last boyfriend, he thought they were funny. Why do people (not just nerds but most people who've taken some upper maths and science) think their so funny? I don't know but here are some of my favourites:

I wish I was a derivative so I could lie tangent to your curves.
Baby, Lets take the integral of e to the x to infinity
Baby, I'll treat you like my homework, slam you on the table and do you all night long.
Baby, you overclock my processor
Be my queen and mate me with your knight moves
I wish I were your second derivative so i could fill your concavities
Lets get together and test the spring potential of my matress
I less than three you….. (i <>
I wish I was your secant line so I could touch you in at least two places!
I’d be the photon to your electron and take you to an excited state.
Baby, if they made you in Java, you’d be the object of my desire.
Hey, up for some high-energy quantum tunnelling tonight?
I’m overheating because you’re stuck in my head like an infinite loop.
You’re as sweet at 3.14.
Our love is like Pi: irrational and never ending
You fascinate me more than the fundamental theorem of calculus.
Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF. All my base are belong to you.
Are you the square root of 2? because I feel irrational when I’m around you

And last but not least, why you should date an electrical engineer:

The world does revolve around us... we choose the coordinate system.
No "couple" enjoy a better "moment".
We know how to handle stress and strain in a relationship.
We have significant figures.
We know it's not the length of the vector that counts, but how you apply the force.
Electrical engineers do it on an impulse
Electrical engineers do it with more power and at higher frequency.
Electrical engineers do it with super position
Electrical engineers do it until it Hertz.
Electrical engineers do it with spark.
Electrical engineers do it with precision.
Electrical engineers do it any way they can.

I haven't quite figured the particulars of this one.

2009-06-09T08:11:00.001-07:00

When I started my 43 things account years ago, I wanted to open a bakery. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work as an assistant to a pasty chef. I’m still not sure if I want to open a bakery or a restaurant one of these days. I’ve even thought about a deli/bakery. I’ve got this one really crazy idea, but it’s still to random to even mention on the blog. I do know that this is one of those long term goals. My family and friends tell me I have great cooking skills but I know that I still need a lot of work and practise until I’m ready to open up my own eatery.

People have jokingly suggested that I go to culinary school. But as I always say to them, I believe it's more logical to begin my career as an engineer. Perhaps this bakery thing will be a retirement thing (God willing). I need to do this engineering thing while my brain is still sharp. I always can be an amateur baker/cook, but a hobbyist engineer...? Not so practical.

182 days left!

2009-06-07T12:42:00.001-07:00

I was on twitter, were I follow ‘jlist’ and he tweeted the fact that there are 182 days left until the JLPT. I’m going to be taking the level 4 I have decided. I don’t think I will be ready for level 3 this year. But hopefully if things go well I will pass the JLPT 4 this year and next year the new N3 Level. Of course the ultimate goal is to pass the N1 one day but that’s just the 2 year plan.

I’ve been trying to study at least 30 minutes everyday. Preferably studying 1 hour a day. Probably going to have to step up my game on the kanji. I know 1-25 pretty well but there’s still so many more to learn. I’m also worried about the listening portion. I get to talk on the fone some in Japanese. The one good thing about being in Macon is that I did speak Japanese when I went to Shoki. I maintain to keep my eyes on the prize.

I use a lot of online resources to help me study japanese. You can find my bookmarks on my Delicious account (http://delicious.com/jdks/japanese) but I also try to write Japanese every single day and read some Japanese everyday. I try to watch Japanese dramas,news, baseball games without subtitles and it’s getting much better. I’m looking forward to the day that I receive my certification in the mail. I know that being certified in Japanese will open me up to more opportunities and I love the language it’s very beautiful.

Back to studying!

See more progress on: improve my Japanese

I baked some cookies!

2009-06-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

The recipe I use is originally Paula Dean's but as much as I love Paula's no-nonsense southern cooking I have to cut the sugar a bit and even with that I still don't understand how anybody could eat those cookes with icing on top. Even 46 couldn't imagine it but we don't eat nearly as much sugar as we used to.

These cookies are sooo soft. Everybody I know likes them from the sweet lovers to my sister, who's a bit of a health nut.

This recipe is adapted from Paula's Loaded Oatmeal Cookies.

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 12-15 minutes
Yields 5 dozen (so she says. I think 3 dozen medium sized cookies)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) magarine, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 1 or more cookie sheets.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar in a bowl until fluffy.
Add eggs and beat until mixture is light in color.
Add buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; stir into creamed mixture.
Fold in oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, and vanilla, blending well. Drop by rounded tsablepoons onto cookie sheet.

FYI: This dough is softer than other cookie doughs I make, a bit less tacky but the common problem on the Food Network Review site is that they come out flat. Make sure your Baking powder and soda are fresh and you may need to add up to an extra cup of flour. This time around I had to use 2 cups of flour instead 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.

Lightening it up: I've made this recipe alot. A few times people wanted less fat or sugar. I've used 1 cup of margarine instead of 1/2 cup margarine and 1/2 cup shortening.

For a sugar free or non refined sugar version I've also used 1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 cup splenda though prefer the brown sugar blend splenda with this recipe.

I've also used whole wheat flour. I actually like it best with whole wheat flour and molasses as the sweetener. with pecans , raisins and craisins... so tastey.

Getting on the etsy boat

2009-05-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

I'm better I promise. No more 'hateration' on the chaps. My ex is just giving me issues.

So I'm on etsy now: http://www.engineeredcupcake.etsy.com/. I've only got 2 items up there now, and 3 more items to photograph and add to the inventory. I took one picture but they didn't quite turn out show ready:

It's a pair of enameled rose earring with acrylic pearls. The second pair is mine. Another enameled piece, this time navy triangles with a silver acrylic bead. I'm trying to get at least 5 items this week, maybe 10 by the end of next week. Things are looking good in the fundraising direction. I'll be starting another temp position as a 'at disposable computer nerd' doing graphic design and other technical things. The cooking position starts 9 June. I e-mailed CTC Vista to ask if it was okay to sell my jewellry during my tour and they said it was fine as long as it doesn't take away from my service. Which reminds me my training in Boston is 20-23 July and my service in California start 24 of July. Can you believe that? In about 7 weeks or so I'll be on my way to California. It still hasn't really hit me

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm very excited. Going to hang out with my best friend when she gets off. I saw her today but tomorrow we're planning on really catching up.

See you space cowboy,

Back from the boro

2009-05-25T13:22:00.001-07:00

So I went down to statesboro for a few days. It was an very fun and yet eye opening weekend. I got to hang out with some of my friends, including one of my best pals. We went down to Savannah, I wanted to get my ear cartilage piercing but that didn't pan out, maybe next time.

I've been starting to wonder why girls my age (me included) worry so much about guys and marriage. I guess I personally feel like, y'know it's not like I tried to get married out of high school or in college. But this southern life I lead makes me believe that if I don't get married before I'm 30 than there is something seriously wrong with me. I mean I know I wanted to graduate college (done), see the world , get a professional job before I get married but I don't want to be pushing 40. I guess the dissolvement of my 4 year relationship is still seriously bothering me. Also I think when I'm doing all this guy talk with my friends that as 20-something women who are college graduates (or soon to be) with real career goals that we ought to have better things to do with our time.

But see that's just the thing. With hard work and studying, etc you can achieve career goals but when it comes to true love and what not a lot of that is just luck, let's be honest. There are things you can to do maintain a good relationship but you never know when it's going to hit you. And in the mean time, looking fornlorn and emo isn't going to help ne? so I suppose I should stop thinking about guys and start thinking more about Americorps, jewellry design, physics and Industrial Electronics. I just don't want to end up a little old lady with her computers and gadgets, though I'm sure by the time 2050 hits I won't be the only little old lady whose a computer lady rather than a cat lady.

Anyways, I know this blog post was really silly. Wednesday will roll around I 'll try to type more positive.

Happy Memorial Day!

A fairly random weekend

2009-05-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

A lot of boring, a few good, and one bad thing happened.

I started twisting my hair Friday nite and I'm still not done. I get so easily distracted. I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog. But I'm a natural (if you can't tell by the avatar) which means I'm in that minority of black people that don't chemically change the texture of their hair with perms. Last perm was back in 1999. Anyways I'm doing a 2-strand twist and I have to be finished today, I've got an interview tomorrow.

That's rite, I've got an interview with a breakfast/brunch delivery place. Please keep me in your prayers/thoughts for this one I need a job badly. it also reminds me that I need to wash my khakis and make sure my sweater (it's a liteweight) is wrinkle free.

My mom wore the necklace I made for her Mother's day gift the other day. She got tooons of compliments and it has made me fully decide to get a touch from my savings and order some more supplies. By the by this is the necklace I made:

I've posted this on twitter already. But I do like it a lot and I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.

The bad thing that happened was with Alltel. See, my mobile broke at the hinge and i had a fone that I previously lost. I made the mistake of trying to get it reactivated and they took it with the full battery and left me with a dead broken mobile... that I will still be paying the fees on until I get a new one. It was the Alltel service office in the Target centre, the attendant was quite surly with me. I personally have been a customer for 6 years, never delinquent and my family as a whole has been customers for most of the past 20 years. I'm talking Alltel car fones. Up until last year I never had any complaints but since Verizon bought them, they've been horrible. I thank God I've got Mobile insurance. I will pay the silly 35 dollars insurance deductible to have this fone until July or August... and then I'm going pre-paid. I think I'm going to go with boost Mobile. I just have to see if they have good service in the Bay area.

Well I've got to finish twisting this hair.

Pics from the dinner party

2009-05-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Roasted Turkey and Honey Baked Ham.
Sauteed Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce
Eggplant Paramasan Saucers
Red Pepper Pasta Salad

Boffin Beauty

Corset Story Review

Apple Dumplings Classic Version

Tea at the Biltmore

2012 Resolutions

2011 Resolutions How did I do?

2011 in Review

Five of my fave online tools of 2011

TV Liberation-Me TV

Up on the roof

FE/EIT here I come

Natural Hair, don't care.

Steve Jobs (Resquicat in pace)

About GRID Alternatives

Top tracks - Week 9/25-10/2

New Facebook: Chapter 1 (新フェイスブック : 一の章)

Serve America

Social Networking Seminar this Saturday!

Lately on ColourLovers: Cali-versary

August is nearly gone

Quick! Watt is unit of...?

Makes me wonder

Back to Lab...

A special announcement

Teach 'em how it's done

Review: Leslie Sansone's Walk of the Pounds 5 mile

Plateaus bite

Going West, the Jasmine DK Shepard story

Where ideas are made

EVO and Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Jasmine Shepard on Peralta Matters

Vegan French Toast

According to the corn farmers....

High Fructose Corn Syrup Provides Many Consumer BenefitsSource

School's out for now

Today in School

5 Ways to get HFCS out of your life

5 ways you can help Japan

Tsunami udpate

A major health update!

Learning curve

Sans internet

Stopping a Binge

Have you ever made any original recipes?

What is your favorite color?

Back to the books

Health update 1: configuring the pantry

New Year's Resolutions and how to stick to them

Cute

What's your favourite tv show?

The mini update

Lately on Colour Lovers

Bacon and rosemary scones

Keeping busy

So it's corn sugar now.

100% sweet, now with no HFCS!

Class is in session

Hot like fire

Calorie Counting

Getting There...

My afternoon gone askew: Verdict reached in Mehserle trial:

Well I'll be here for a bit more

Kanji, it's starting to sink in

Tech Support the hard way

My ode to hella

Oh to be an engineer...

Time is winding down

Zazzle

Resolutions Update

Wagashi Magic Part 1

Moving again: things learned

OOP, you can't escape it

Happy Birthday Vivian

2010 Resolutions

2009 Resolutions - how did I do?

The JLPT is over...

Now it can be told?

Mama's visit

The Alameda County Social Dance...

My first youtube video

High Fructose Corn Syrup Provides Many Consumer Benefits
Source