Reflection 7

Because it's spring break, I have not been able to take any new pictures of the people because school is not in session. I should have planned ahead and took more pictures in advance so I would not have this random weeks of not posting. I am thinking that the week I come back from spring break, I will go all out and try to get the page up to 7 pictures. My next plan of action is to start sharing the page my friends and hopefully it can have more views. My spring break Humans of UCVTS work has included me making more interview questions and thinking of themes for a week. I mentioned earlier in another reflection that I would like to do a senior week to highlight the thoughts of seniors.
Here are some ideas for week themes (obviously not everything will actually be chosen):
1) Senior week
2) Hometown week
3) Culture week
4) Springbreak week
5) Aspirations week
6) Motivation week

Reflection Week 6

This week for 20% Time, I included in my vision book quotes that relate to me and places I want to go. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback on my blog posts lately, so I decided that I should create more posts next week and print out all of the blog posts I have made thus far and put them in my vision book. I am still contemplating on whether or not I should get a different vision book.

REFLECTION 6.0

In my attempt to make my diet healthier, I have been cooking foods with really positive effects on my health. Therefore this week I have decided to learn how to cook bean stew. I proceeded to cook this meal by myself using the recipe I found online (Here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/437768-how-to-cook-ghanaian-bean-stew/). I followed the directions verbatim  and was able to create a really tasty bean stew. Given that I followed the directions verbatim the stew did not have a very good and original taste. Therefore it tasted very practical and did not have elaborate floors in it. Next time i will add some spices in attempt to create a twist to taste,

Reflection 6

This week I didn't bake anything. It was a really busy school week and weekend for me, especially since we were busy planning my birthday party. However, I did get a huge inspiration from my birthday cake. It was a pink two tier cake with roses all over it. Maybe one day I could use it as reference for any future recipes I make. I'm quite disappointed I was unable to bake something but I look forward to this week since it's spring break and I'll have A LOT of time to bake some goodies. Wish me luck (so I don't burn anything haha)!

Reflection Week 6

This week I did my blog post on the infrastructure of the United States! It's really bad! Not the article, no, but the very foundations of living and business for the United States is in shambles. Oddly enough, it isn't an issue that is very much brought up. Not very surprising; in general, economics aren't sexy unless someone is riling up the fears and anxieties of people during economic downturn or trying to channel rage towards a select group of people. No one will march over the failing conditions of rail lines and bridges, but perhaps we should, before the ground we would march on collapses out from under us. As mentioned in last week's post, I used sources and research I had gathered from the previous week, which made this article a relative breeze to write.

Infrastructure

Reflection #6 3/27

Kamryn
Intro to Humanities

           My second semester 20% Project is going to be me learning to bake and cook many new things. This week I was not in class for the twenty percent project. At home, we celebrated Easter and in my home a big dinner and breakfast takes place. Usually I help my mom by cutting up the cheese  something else easy. This year, I made the macaroni and cheese by myself and not in the microwave like last week. So I boiled the noodles in a random amount of water and let my sister cut up half a block of Velvetta cheese and buttered the pan. I mixed the cooked noodles with butter and some shredded cheese and the cut up Velvetta cheese. Next, I put it in a aluminum pan and topped it with some more cheese and poured half and half milk over top. Finally, I put it in the oven. I was not there when my mom took it out of the oven, so I could not take a picture, but trust me it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reflection Week 6

This was quite a productive week, as finished have officially finished the html basics. I will be moving on to HTML Basics II, and than on to How to build a webpage. Although it may seem very slow, I've been attempting to create a set time to work on this project every other day. Next week won't be very productive at all, because I will be on vacation.

Reflection 6

My project to interview seniors has been a bit delayed. It is hard to find people who would want to be interviewed. Another problem I am facing is that all of my pictures don't have any interesting content. I realized that because I keep asking the same questions over and over again, people are giving the same answers ( like how are you enjoying school or what they do in their free times). It seems there are always the standard I love school or the I don't have anything besides studying replies. So over spring break I want to brainstorm new questions to add a change to the page. The page is coming together beautifully and it is finally resembling something similar to Humans of New York.

I forgot to link the updates with the new pictures, please check out the new editions:
https://www.facebook.com/humansofucvts/?fref=ts

Reflection Week 6

This marks week 6 with my reflection. I am currently finishing up designs with my project. I finished making the boat design and now I'm moving onto something that may be just a little bit more challenging: the helicopter. The helicopter has a few more parts that I'll have to worry about but challenges are what I like so I'll do my best. I am still waiting on the DC Motor to come in, however.

Reflection S2 W6

Christian

            The weather this week has been very nice, particularly Wednesday. My family loves to grill and that is exactly what we did. My dad is the parent to grill the food, so I asked to help grill steak and chicken. He obviously said yes, and the first step we took was preparing the meats. We cleaned them, marinated them, and let them sit for a while. For the steak, we simply marinated with salt and pepper and for the chicken, we marinated it with a buffalo sauce. After about an hour or so of letting them marinate, we took the meats outside and started to grill. The chicken was done a little before the steak, but both turned out great and I was happy to share a meal with my family that I helped to cook. While grilling might not be all that useful in college, it still does not hurt to know what you are doing with one.

New Reflection #5

This week, I decided to try another new song. My new initiative was to try a pop culture song of the past. I went Let It Be by the Beatles which is an easy song which not too much variation between the chords and notes.  I will say that it is not one of my favorites songs since I'm not into the Beatles but their songs happen to be easy to play. It also happens to be the longest song I've played but I won't let that from discouraging me from playing.

REFLECTION 5.0

This week I practiced cooking the dishes I already learned and did not learn any new dishes. Therefore I cooked while rice, spinach stew, corn beef stew, jollof rice, and plantains. It has been a while since I had a week where I practiced cooking all the foods already known to me. So I took this week to relax and cook these foods from memory. Additionally, in preparation for next week I started researching food with an adequate amount of potassium because II want to improve the health quality of the foods I can cook. This is what I found: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20721159,00.html

Reflection Week 5

Continuing on my new project, I am still learning about the DC Motors. I'm learning all the Do's and Don'ts. Some hazards may include over-temperature, contamination, vibration, altitude, and ambient temperatures. All these things, if not kept in order can go horribly wrong, resulting in the necessity of a new DC Motor. However, everything is going well I am making little designs of how I want the outcome of the designs to look like.

Reflection 5

This weekend was really hectic because of Relay for Life, but I was finally able to bake! I baked oatmeal cookies with my friend who's a really good baker. We brought a huge batch to Relay and they were a huge hit. The first batch came out burnt, but then we figured out that my oven heats from the bottom so that's why a lot of the things I bake burn. So for the rest of the batches, we baked it on the top racks. This will be some goo advice to refer to in my future baking ventures. I still have to write a blog post for these oatmeal cookies but I will do that this week. I'm looking forward to baking more goodies for myself and others!

Reflection 5

I still did not get better materials which I really need to do. I started working with proportions and perspective this week, which is really cool but also reinforced the fact that I need better materials. I knew of the grid method for proportions before, but I have never tried it out and I saw a Drawspace lesson for using the grid to draw faces, which I think I am going to read this week. I really like drawing. I find it very relaxing, and this week I found myself going completely off-script from my lesson which I am happy about, since one of my main goals is to be able to just draw without looking at or copying anything. Hopefully this skill will only develop with time.

Reflection Week 5

I was really busy this entire weekend, so as a result I did something different. I prepped notes, facts, and website articles and sources for my next blog post, which will be on the infrastructure of the United States. By prepping all this information, I allow myself to make a more detailed post in the future with less effort when it comes to citing sources and statistics. Moving forward, this will likely be my usual approach to writing.

Reflection Week 5

This week for 20% Time I included pictures that describe me. Most of these pictures go hand-in-hand with the words that describe me. I also decided to include quotes that reflect me and my goals. I didn't have a lot of time to include a lot of things in my vision book this week, but since spring break is coming up, I know I can work on my book a lot more.

Reflection #5 3/18

Kamryn
Intro to Humanities

           My second semester 20% Project is going to be me learning to bake and cook many new things. I tried to make a microwaved dessert, but I was really scared to put an egg in the microwave and a lot of the recipes called for eggs. I researched salmonella and most websites I looked at said that an egg would be fine in the microwave. Well, I found a recipe that did not use egg. I made mac and cheese in the microwave following a recipe online: http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/instant-mug-o-mac-cheese-in-the-microwave/ .  Some of the steps did not seem to work, so I changed them.  I put 1/3 cups of macaroni and 1/2 cup of water in the microwave for 2 minutes and then stirred it. Then, I put it back in for another two and it came out like the first picture shown. So, I re did it an only put it in for one minute the second time, which worked. I proceeded to then stirring in the 1/4 cup of milk and 1/2 of shredded cheddar cheese, put it in the microwave for 2 more minutes, and my meal was complete. The mac and cheese was gross, but it looked normal!!! I think I didn't like it because I am picky, but I feel like other people might. I do not think I cooked the noodles enough and the cheese cannot be tasted. In class, I found the recipe for the mac and cheese and a bunch of other things I would like to try on another date.

Reflection Week #5

Although I did plan on continuing my lessons about HTML on Code Academy, I didn't do as much as I planned. I did approximately 15 minutes of Code Academy this week, and that was simply because I had a very packed week. With all the homework and tests that teachers are trying to pack in before spring break, my schedule was more than full. I'm still working on the lesson,"Build your own Webpage" and I'm not exactly sure how to get my own domain, but I'll sort that out later.

Reflection 5

This week didn't exactly go as planned. I honestly was not home long enough any day this week to sit down and work on my sweater. On the bright side, I used my class time pretty productively. Since I finished watching the knitpicks videos on youtube, I started looking at different knitting channels. I watched a few different videos on knitting sweaters and got to see the different techniques people use. One woman was knitting a very thick, chunky sweater and that video helped a lot because the yarn and needles were really big so it was easy to follow along with what she was doing. People have different ways of doing things. It seems like some like to start from the bottom of the sweater, some start from the top, and others start with the sleeves. Next time, I think I'll bring my sweater to class so I can get some more rows done.

Reflection 5

I felt a strong connection with the people who I was able to interview. I realized that I don't really know the people on campus and this project has offered me the opportunity to explore and meet the underclassmen. I plan on interviewing seniors next time for a special editions week.

Reflection #5

          This week for my 20 % time project I worked out four times and I boosted up my healthy eating habits. I started cooking my own food and trying to stay away from consuming too much fat. I really want to tone up and all the fat and sodium found in foods is not going to let me. I want to make this a lifestyle so I am trying my best to be consistent.

Reflection S2 W5

Christian

            This week has been a fairly complicated one to say the least. Not only am I coming off of a surgery, but my mom and grandma also had surgeries this week. My mom’s surgery didn’t require her to stay overnight at the hospital, but she is still on crutches. However, my grandma’s surgery called for her to be in the hospital for three days after surgery day. My days consisted of a lot of homework, helping my mom around the house, and visiting my grandma at the hospital. Unfortunately, this has not left much time for cooking, so my family has ordered out every night this week, which is not such an awful thing. Ordering out allows me to get a taste for other cultural foods and what they are cooked with. I think it is very important to expand your palette because it might open up opportunities for other different dishes to be made.

Reflection 4

      This week for my 20% time project I was able to go to the gym four times. I have been eating better but I want to do it little by little. I started eating more fruit and vegetables but I have not completely changed my diet. I am hoping to start making more of a change this coming week. I have motivated my sister and she wants to eat better too so now I have someone to do it with. Now I feel even more motivated to be in shape.

Reflection 4

This week, I continued shading and tried different techniques to see what I liked best. For the skull I am sketching, I mainly used cross-hating because I liked the way I created different layers of shadows. I hope that as I move on, this technique will only get better. Also, I decided this week that I need better supplies. At least I need a better eraser and good paper. I am going to try to convince my mom to buy me a sketch book or something similar this weekend. Drawspace is working well. I like that so many of the free lessons are centered around teaching methods, and not just copy this or draw that.

New Reflection #4

This week, I didn't get much practice completed due to school and outside activities. But I tried to get in as much as possible. I did little bit of focusing on the symbols and signs used on music sheets. For  example, I studied the uses of breaks, ties, and slurring notes together to remove gaps between bars. It was just minor studying to familiarize myself with advanced sheets since lot of them contain has these symbols. My goal is just to be able to recognize the basic symbols on any music sheet.

REFLECTION 4.0

This week I decided to learn how to cook Corned Beef stew. I ascertained the recipe for the stew through a blog online. In order to ensure that the recipe is valid, I consulted my mother and she gave her approval to the recipe with some minor additions. Additionally, I have tried to take some of the unhealthy ingredients in my cooking out. This week I have been focusing on eliminating butter from dishes and in order to do so I have purchased coconut oil and avocados.Anyway proceeded to make the western African stew and I also made rice to eat with it. The stew and the rice came out really well and tasted fantastic. I found the meal very enjoyable and given that it was my first time coking the stew the quality was surprising. Usually it takes me a few tries before the food tastes how I want it to taste. However this time everything came together and went well I think this shows my progress as a cook and the development of my cooking skills and technique. Below is the link to the recipe I used.
https://kymberlyyvonne.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/ghanaian-corned-beef-stew-recipe/

Reflection Week 4

Well this wasn't the perfect week. Although I did take a look at Code Academy and study HTML over this week, I didn't actually start anything productive. I also used www.w3schools.com to learn about HTML. I think I might start making this website next week, but I'm definitely not gonna be anywhere near my final product.

Week 4

This past week I haven't really done anything different. I'm still watching tutorials online and trying to fold my own origami. However, I finally got colored origami paper. Now the things I make will look nicer than just using notebook paper. I am much more excited now to continue with my origami.

Reflection 4

Seriously, this upcoming week I'll work on actually promoting the stuff I'm writing. It is indeed getting better. What I have written here isn't finished; in the final version I'd like to include stats and a final silver lining to bolster my arguments and round out the essay, but time constraints and lack of time management got in the way there. I was especially busy this weekend. Besides that, I used a lot more comedy and my own unique tone as a person in this piece, which excites me. If I can get that down pact without being too goofy and annoying, it will provide an easy to read and enjoyable text. This week, I wrote about the ill effects of meat production, with a focus on the ills of fast food chains. By the way, please let me know if these links don't work? Thank you very kindly.

I got a Beef

Reflection 4

This week I realized how hard knitting a sweater actually is. When I did my scarf, it was just one long pattern being repeated over and over again. But a scarf is totally different. The pattern I found online is extremely hard to follow along with, or maybe that's just me. I had like 3 tabs open with different knitting dictionaries and abbreviation guides while trying to follow along. I watched basically every single video on knitpicks and I just don't understand how she makes everything look so easy. Anyway, I got the pattern figured out after a long time researching and my mom's help. I knit about 4 rows of the pattern and I'm like 80% sure the part I knit is supposed to be the bottom back of the sweater? or at least I hope. Next, I'm going to have to switch stitches and start working on the body.

Reflection S2 W4

Christian

This week, I had surgery on Wednesday the 9th and have been in resting in bed since then. I didn't have a chance to cook anything this week, but I figured that I would benefit from watching some videos of a few easy recipes. I watched a video on how to make a quick meatball Parmesan sandwich and another video on multiple easy ways to cook eggs. The videos were easy to follow along with and can definitely benefit me in the future. I subscribed to both channels and plan on staying up to speed with both of their videos.

Reflection 4

This week I did not have a chance to bake anything. However, I did get to work on my blog. It's called Blissful Baking Creations, and yes it's pretty cliche, but I might change it later down the road. I'm still in the process of getting it started and making my post for the cookies I baked 2 weeks ago. There's nothing up on it yet, and I've just been working on the theme and layout. I'm not really concerned about how many people view my blog, since it's more focused on me keeping track of my baking creations. I'm looking forward to having everything set up and ready to go and I plan to hopefully bake something this week, and possibly bring it in for my Relay team.
Here's the link: https://blissfulbakingcreations.wordpress.com/
There's only a background up so far but I'm working on it!

Reflection Week 4

This week for 20% Time I continued to do research on colleges I might go to in the future, and put four in my vision book. I also included words that I think describe me. I printed out my last blog post and put it in my vision book. I plan on creating a section that indicates where all of my blog posts will be some time next week. I'm also still thinking about getting a new vision book because I feel like the current one I have right now is too plain and I want to make it more interesting.

Reflection Week 4

This marks week 4 with my reflection. I'm still researching and deciding what I am going to build first. I am most likely going to build a DC Helicopter first and after that is done I am probably going to make improvements to that or build something else totally different like a boat or something. I already see a challenge coming up however. How am I actually going to make the plane fly? That's my task and we'll see how that turns out. Hopefully good :)

Reflection 4

I am slowly adding little bits of stories to my Humans of UCVTS facebook page. I have not been promoting my website because last week I only posted one photo. However, this week I posted two photos and the website is looking fuller. My goal is to reach 5 photos next week and I'll ask my friends to start promoting the website. Hopefully, more people will be able to see this website, but to do so, I need to interview more pictures that people can enjoy. I have covered most of the five schools on campus such as Magnet, AIT, and Allied. I still need to interview UCTech and APA to have a diverse representation of the school. I'm going to try for a more consistent posting dates, so I will be posting every Thursday or Friday. It's still hard to interview random strangers, but I hope with more practice I can improve.

Please check out my facebook page and the wonderful people on campus:
https://www.facebook.com/humansofucvts/

Reflection #4 3/10

Kamryn
Intro to Humanities
   
           My second semester 20% Project is going to be me learning to bake and cook many new things. This week I learned two new dishes. So, something that could go to a big dinner is barbecue salmon. My mother typically makes Salmon in the oven and I was not fond of the way she made it and I realized that my brother makes salmon on the stove and his tastes better. I googled how to make salmon on the stove and all it basically said was to cook it. I ended up free styling and it came out amazing. I buttered the pan and put the salmon in the pan. I seasoned the salmon with many different random spices such as Lawry's seasoned salt, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and butter. I cooked the salmon in a pan with a top directly over the salmon until it was fully cooked, I cut the salmon into pieces and put barbecue sauce in the pan for extra flavor and let it cook for a few more minutes on both sides. Then it was done. I was starving yesterday and my mother told me to make myself something to eat, so I said I wanted nachos and she told me to go make them. So, I did... For the nachos, I am very and do not like extra ingredients such as olives, salsa, lettuce, celery, or guacamole, I decided to keep it simple. I purchased two pounds of extra lean ground beef and put it in a pan. Next, I browned the meat as said on the taco mix packet. I drained the meat and then put it back on the pan after wiping it clean. I mixed in two packets of taco mix and 4/3 cups of water since I used two pounds of meat instead of one. I allowed the sauce to thicken and then the meat was ready. I put the amount of meat I wanted to eat in a bowl and added shredded mild cheddar cheese and put it in the microwave for 20 seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Instead of regular tortilla chips, I decided to use Doritos and proceeded to enjoy my nachos. In class, I began to type out the recipes I used and made up for the last two dishes.

      

Reflection #3

       This week for my 20% time project I did not go to the gym as much as I did last week. I went only twice. I really want to be consistent with my attendance at the gym. I want to tie healthy eating into my goals so I am going to start a change in diet. I am not sure how yet but that is something I definitely want to work on. I have terrible eating habits that need to improve. Summer is around the corner and i want to make sure i look great and feel great. Next week I am going to start working on my meal plan.

New Reflection #3

This week, I played another trial song this week called Follow the Leader. I know it may sound like an easy song to play but I ran into many challenges along the way. But as usual with practice, I got use to it after awhile. I'm finally starting to understand the importance of scales and chords. So far, I feel as though I have mastered at least 6 scales and chords. There are 12 of both in total so I still have a long way to go but I'm still halfway there.

Reflection Week 3

This marks Week 3 with my new project/20% time. I am still looking for lower costing DC Motors that would be best with the project I am about to do. I plan on starting off with a DC Motor and connecting it to a helicopter. I am still deciding on a look/structure/object i am going to use as the shape however. This should be fun

Week 3

This week, I tried to create an origami boat. I remember seeing a friend make this once so I wanted to try it out. It took quite a lot of tries but I eventually figured out how to do it right. That one was a lot easier to do so it did not take much time. I've also decided to dedicate Wednesdays after school to do origami. I don't have any after school activities on that day so I'm hoping this scheduling will work for me.

Reflection 3

This week I worked on contouring and shading. I signed up for drawspace, which has online step-by-step lessons. Most of them cost money, but from what I saw it seemed that every skill had at least one or two free lessons. This week I worked on a side view of the human skull, and learning to give depth to the lines instead of just smooth and dimensionless shapes. This was a skill that I never even though about before. I always thought jagged or shaky lines would just look messy, but the lesson taught me to apply them in a way that would make the figure look more realistic and less cartoon-y.

REFLECTION 3.0

This week I planned to practice using new seasonings in foods that I have already learned how to cook. I began my preparation in class by researching different ways to season already known meal. I discovered a source that boasted 60 different ways I could season chicken. I was immediately intrigued with the Brown Sugar Chicken recipe that was offered. Personally I have no experience in eating or cooking such a dish prior to this week. Therefore, I was not sure how it should taste and how it would come together. I proceeded to gather the ingredients and follow the instructions as commanded by the recipe. I also enlisted some of my mom's support  and advice while cooking, but for the most part it was a solo effort. The chicken came out quite well boasting the qualities that the recipe said the final product would. Most importantly I was introduced to new spices such as brown sugar, paprika, and oregano; I hope apply this new knowledge of the characteristics of the spices aforementioned in future dishes.

Reflection 3

This week I didn't try to bake any new recipes, but I did bake my confetti cookies once again for my last Relay bake sale. I've continued looking for more recipes and now have a long list of them. This time I experimented with the cookies and used an already boxed confetti cake mix, so that I wouldn't have to add sprinkles. They turned out great, and I added a couple of star sprinkles on top. I also used different sprinkles for another batch of regular vanilla cake batter. Also, I finally started my blog, but I still have to figure out how to format and work the whole thing. I'm excited to see how it goes for the following weeks!

Reflection S2 W3

Christian

            This week, I had a few friends over to watch a Pay Per View showing of a UFC fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. It only made sense to me that I should cook some food for my guests. I talked to my mom about it and she suggested that we make an onion dip for chips and chili for a more hardy meal. I liked the idea of both of them, so I decided to do it. The onion dip was simple to make, but the chili took almost all day to prepare. My moms method required that we slow cook the chili in a crock-pot in order for all of the flavors to soak in. It was seasoned and watched with a careful eye throughout the day, and by the time everyone was over, it was ready. Sadly, McGregor lost, but at least the chili was good! Learning how to use a crock-pot is beneficial to me because in college, I can start cooking something in the morning, do whatever I need to do during the day, and come back to a meal that’s ready to eat.

Reflection 3

At this point, all I have to do is learn how to actually use this blogging format, and figure out if this is the blogging platform I want to use. By learning how to use it, I mean learning how to spread the articles and get the most amount of views possible. This week, I made an article in the style of the Declaration of Independence disowning Donald Trump. Yummy. This one took much longer than my last article and is naturally much more dense. I will more than likely give it more time to edit it and smooth certain parts out, but for a first product, it's not bad at all.

The Declaration of Morality

Drizzy Drake Week 3

Welp. I was gonna go down to the library last week, but my parents won't let me out of the house without supervision. It would be easy enough to sneak out, but I'm not really looking to start trouble right now.

Fortunately, that hasn't stopped me from making progress! We have a chalkboard in the house and I've been using that to practice when I get bored since I spend so much time indoors. The calligraphy/ typography isn't perfect, but it's been coming out a lot neater and brighter ever since I read in an article that you should dampen the board and the chalk. It looks kind of odd at first, but it creates a nice effect when it dries. Next week I'll try and have something interesting to share.

I think that's everything. That's all, folks!
-Drizzy

Reflection Week 3

This week ,I've started to watch videos for HTML on Code Academy. I've also decided that for my final product, I'll be coding a website. The video is watched was simply an introduction to the world of coding and HTML, and it was very basic. It didn't go into much detail, and I've decided that I'll devote roughly two hours every week into this website.

Reflection #3 3/5

Kamryn
Intro to Humanities
     
           My second semester 20% Project is going to be me learning to bake and cook many new things. This week my team is having a sleepover for my birthday and competition on Sunday, so this is the perfect time to learn to make meals and snacks for multiple people. Furthermore, I organized all of the details of the sleepover and the food. I recorded who brought what and whether we would use that for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For my contribution, I baked cupcakes. In class, I searched for some lasagna recipes and cupcake decorating tips. I did not find any lasagna recipes that were appealing, so I stuck with the cupcakes. I did not have time to try to make them from scratch, so I used a Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix and I dyed the icing purple and used edible balls and other decorations to create some cupcakes. The design was actually the idea of one of my friend's and she taught me exactly how to make decorate the cupcakes.

Reflection 3

This week I finally bought my yarn. I was really hoping to find something really soft and comfortable, but that's really difficult when you're on a budget. I went to ACMoore with my mom and we looked at a bunch of different yarns, and I noticed that they had some sample swatches. After feeling pretty much every single type of yarn, I settled on the brand Caron. I'll put in a picture of it at the end. Anyway I found a really nice knitting pattern that I'm going to try and follow. I'll insert the link to that here (http://www.allfreeknitting.com/Knitted-Sweaters/Favorite-Fashion-Sweater-from-Patons-Yarn) The sweater in the picture uses two different colors, but I'm only planning on using one. I like the way it looks in the picture. So, I did my gauge swatch and I'll put a picture of that at the bottom as well. I got about 24 stitches in 6.5 inches. The pattern calls for 20 stitches in 4 inches, so I'd have to make my stitches a little bit tighter. I asked my mom about this and she said it shouldn't be a big deal if its a little bit off. All that will do is make the sweater a little bit looser, and I don't mind that. Overall, this week was pretty productive. I'm excited to start working on the actual thing.

Reflection Week 3

This week for 20% Time, I did research on what colleges would be best for me so I could add it to my vision book. I did this because I wanted to incorporate academic visions into my vision book. I found four colleges that I might consider going to, and I plan on putting them in my vision book when I have a chance. I also have a packet that gives me an academic path/ plan, so I will put that in my vision book as well. I also created a blog post this week, so I plan on printing it out and putting it in my vision book, since my blog is a step to my career goal (journalism).

I've also considered the idea of buying a new book, because what I have right now is a blue binder, and I want something that's more creative, like a hard cover book.

Week 2

It has been a busy week but also a fun week. Lent has started . And Friday I cooked fish. Fish is a tricky dish to cook because it has to be cooked perfectly.  Undercooking it makes it inedible and so does overcooking it. But I did it ! I made breaded tilapia. But in the breading I added lemon rind and a bunch of herbs (parsley, oregano and just a pinch of rosemary) and garlic. I put it in the oven to bake for a while. With my moms help, we cooked it to perfection. The breading was crispy and the fish soft. It was so quick to prepare and make. I didn't have to do too much (Or dirty too many dishes) making it a quick fix when I'm bustling around.

Saturday I made tacos. I know it's an easy dish to make but I never made them myself. I mixed ground beef and turkey together with beans and barbecue sauce (it made the meat a good kind of sweet). And then just stuffed the taco shells with it and topped with cheese. I poured out the other additions commonly found on tacos into bowls so that my family could simply make their own tacos to their liking. I learned a cool way to cut up an avocado though (will insert pictures in next post and step by step instructions). This method saved me a lot of time. Usually I peel the skin off and cut around the pit. But there's actually an easier way.

That's all for this week. Til next time.

Week 1

Week 1

Cooking. With college coming up (and the fact that I'll have my own place to live in by myself) it means I should probably start preparing now. So cooking is a good 20% project in my opinion. In addition to cooking , and to monitor my achievements as well as have an actual reference to food items, I'm concocting my own cook book. I hope to average 2 - 3 new recipes a week. Time permitting of course.

Week one. Interesting. I took it easy. This week was s fun week to test the waters with how I feel about cooking. So I made things I had a craving for. I baked soft and chewy brown sugar oatmeal cookies. They were absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy. I baked them twice in one week. I found out a few tricks the second time around--leave the butter out over night. It helps with the mixing. And don't use sea salt. It clumps.

I also tried a chocolate chip cookie off of a Hershey's chocolate chip bag. It was the same basic format as the oatmeal - butter , flour, egg. I also baked these twice. The first time I used raw sugar because it's all I had. But the second time I used white sugar. And I have to say the white sugar is super sweet in a bad way. It doesn't compare to the raw.

Reflection 3

This week I was able to successfully interview one person. It was a very awkward encounter because it’s my first time. Luckily, I brought a friend to help take the pictures and he made the atmosphere very friendly. Together we were able to ask the questions. Some things I would like to improve is how the flow of the questions direct the conversation. During the interview, after I asked a question I would have a jumpy transition to the net topic. Also, some of the questions I ask to the interviewee seems hard and they can not answer. I hope to improve my interviewing skill, so I would not have to awkwardly have a conversation with a stranger. The first picture can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofucvts/

Reflection 2

This week, I was very sick and missed class. I didn't not get to work on my in class twenty percent and in all honesty did not get much done at home. I spent a lot of time at the doctor/in waiting rooms/and in the car this week, which does mean that I did a lot of doodling. Unfortunately though, I didn't not learn any new skills or techniques. I plan on making up for the lost time this week.