I am usually a landscape photographer I mostly take photos of buildings,
bridges, streets, parks and basically any structures and subjects
that my eye catch and can somehow depict New York City.
So lately, I have expanded my horizons to better explore other aspects of
photography. Taking photos and trying to tell a story about a particular
moment is a passion of mine and that passion have been taken into taking
portraiture. It’s not that I have never taken portraits before, but now I am just
more focused on adding more of the human aspect in my photographs.What I found particularly interesting about taking portraits, is that weather your subject is a family member, friend, stranger or some random person you’ve seen somewhere, every portrait is different and you have to capture the image specifically to accommodate to that person in a way that their stories are being told in the most accurate way as possible.
Thus it is helpful to chat with your subject and find out a
little bit about him/her in order to get their story in the photograph. The
journey of taking portraits have been a great experience so far and I’m
looking forward to meet new people and to capture their stories.
In America, food is always being wasted each and every day because of blemishes and other trivial reasons that that mark them sub-par and unsellable. This contributes to the high percentage of food wasted per year. Despite the rising number of those living in poverty that are constantly struggling to make ends meet and afford food, this surplus of food is still being thrown away. The addition of food banks help but can only feed so many people at once. It would be more beneficial if local supermarkets could also aid in this sustainable movement to assist many people in being able to purchase necessary food items for their families.
One of the newest, and most innovative, store in Denmark, is WeFood, located in Amager, Copenhagen which opened on February 22nd sells fruits, vegetables, dairy, bread, and other food items as well as household items that have passed their expiration dates or have been damaged in any way. Although, it might seemed weird to eat food that has expired, the expiration date doesn’t hold as much significance as one might believe. It is simply a time stamp as to when it is best to eat especially in terms of taste when that date passes it doesn’t mean the food is rotten but has passed its peak ripeness. When one declares that food is rotten it should be based on more than an approximate date, for instance orange juice is supposedly good based on the date that it will expire but may smell and taste rancid. The date says it’s safe but it clearly isn’t.
This gives families the independence of purchasing their own food which fortunately for them are being sold at reduced prices. It has allowed food waste to reduce significantly in Denmark who were inspired to pursue this movement, by France which has put a ban into effect on trashing or spoiling unsold food items.
It would be revolutionary change in the way we view supermarkets if this were to occur in any number of supermarkets or stores in the United States. It would benefit underprivileged families as our annual food waste is only increasing each year and the reasoning behind this is based on what we find not fit to be readily sold. But I feel that we are too focused on the fine print on labels for our food instead of the actual food itself as well as the benefit salvaging this mediocre food would have on those in need.
Comment below, if you believe it is a great choice for America to have a supermarket or store like WeFood.
Today half of the population wants to go off grid and the other half wants to GO VIRAL, a phrase used to convey the act of gaining, usually quick, popularity online. Going viral can happen by mistake or on purpose. What do I mean? Sometimes users post things on social media with no intent of many people seeing it.
However, if it is controversal or identifiable enough people will start viewing or sharing the post until it spirals out if control, causing a once internet “nobody” to gain a following on and offline. On the other hand, people who yearn for attention or for people to actively follow them for whatever reason (ie: sales), will put in the hard work and even money to show up on social media feeds and gain popularity.
Here I explain HOW TO GO VIRAL:
Examples:
QUESTIONS TO THE AUDIENCE: Have you ever gone viral? How? | What do you feel about what I am saying?
This movie highlights the importance of good communication skills and what can happen when things are not clear. Good communication skills are key to connecting with other in life, work and relationships. Without effective communication, the true meaning of a message and can turn into error, misunderstanding, and lead to frustration. Good communication is when both parties understand the same message and meaning.
Making this short movie was fun yet challenging. But I wanted to show how important communication is and how easily there can be a misunderstanding.
Next week’s blog: Following the Examples of Successful Leaders
It was like deja vu all over again seeing the Ringling brothers circus. I recall as a child going to the circus back in my country which was a big deal for me. Besides seeing the animals do tricks, what made the experience amazing was sharing it with my school friends, I mean who wouldn’t love to spend the whole day away from school?(lol)
Over the weekend I took my niece and nephew to the circus; I know, I’m a good aunty(lol). Â Two hours of non stop entertainment was worth it and of course I got to take pictures. Not only did the animals put on quite a show but also the circus masters.
What was my favorite act? I’m still trying to decide. However the elephants did stand out the most for me and since they will be retiring the elephants by 2018 after 145 years of performance, they really did put on a show.
“Recently, I learned this quote from a coaching and communications training from work. Pulling back, in the simplest term simply means to take a few seconds from any conversation to analyze and determine where you want the situation to go. A good example of this is to determine if a conversation is a flight or fight situation.
The training provided three steps to analyze the conversation to access the outcome towards progression for a solution, to change the situation into one where the outcome is a product you want. While this training changed my communication approach and was helpful in improving my communication skills, pulling back means so much more to me. In my every day life, I’ve begun to practice pull back by not just simply using it in conversations, but when I make decisions on what I want to do. By allowing myself to pull back, I allow myself to not beat myself up when I miss an appointment, or when I do not accomplish what I want. Pulling back allows me to re-analyze and restructure my day and goals. Pulling back can simply means to take a deep breath, which sometimes I forget to do in the busy hurdle call life.”
Happy March everyone! This post is going to be a little different because instead of a typical restaurant review, I will actually like to show you what I’ve been cooking lately. I’ve had extra time on my hands the last two months, so I’ve used that time to blog and cook. Here’s what I’ve been making lately and prepare to salivate –
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
I absolutely love salads! One afternoon I was inspired to make a salad for lunch so I ended up making a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, minus the grilled chicken because it was store bought and it was at this point, I realized I’m not a fan of Caesar dressing – too fishy.
Poached Egg Roasted Chicken Salad
I never thought that you could add a poached egg and top it off on a salad, until I got inspiration from a friend who’s also a foodie. The poached egg added a smooth texture to the salad and the yolk was extra runny.
Chunky Guacamole on Multi-Grain bread with Toasted Almonds
I’ve also tried to make a chunky guacamole on Multi-Grain bread with toasted almonds. The result: very yummy and crunchy!
I’ve also been cooking dinner for me and my boyfriend. For one night, I made mixed vegetable corn soup, sauteed Japanese mountain yam with mixed mushrooms, and sweet & sour chicken.
Roasted Chicken & Craisins Salad
Last week, I made a roasted chicken salad with craisins and a fried egg. Everything was yummy and really vibrant and exciting. The fried egg added an interesting texture to the salad. It was a true success!
Well this is just a glimpse of what I’ve been making the last few weeks. It’s been fun and interesting. I am glad to always test myself to see how much I can make and do and so far it’s great. I look forward to challenging myself to cook more.
What hobbies do you enjoy doing that you have found yourself doing more often?
When you think about time, you often think of how quickly it moves, or how there aren’t enough hours in the day. What we don’t tend to think about is the value that every small moment has in the big picture. As a mom, time is an uphill battle, it’s always escaping us and we’re always chasing it in return. I’ve learned over the past seven years that it matters less what it looks like and more what it is. Like many new moms I was self-conscious of my changed body and I spent so much time hiding from pictures or avoiding social events, and posting pictures because I was worried what I would look like in the eyes of others. What I learned from that however was that all I was doing was missing out on capturing and being part of milestone and hallmark moments of my daughter’s life. I also found that people, the right people anyway, were not looking at the materialistic things in the photo they were looking at the love present.
This realization was reaffirmed for me while scrolling through Facebook a few weeks ago. I came across a shared post by a woman named Tiffany Watkins who posted a pictures of herself in a bra and undies holding her young son Austyn. In the pictures, Austyn can be seen grabbing moms’ glasses, mimicking her faces, and laughing. His gleeful expression and love of his mom is obvious, but what’s more obvious is her love of him and love of the moment they’re sharing. I loved this post and shared it on my own page, and with Tiffany’s permission I’m sharing it here as well. I think we can all learn something from Tiffany’s post, mom or not, that you should celebrate love, moments, and memories free from fear of appearance or judgment of others.
The post has been shared quite a few times and other women applaud and find courage in her adorable post because in it she’s not just honest but she’s real. I encourage other women to share the love they’ve captured in pictures and share it without that, “oh no look at my legs” or “look at this” reaction that we’ve all had to a picture. In ten years, when you look back at that picture you were reluctant to share odds are you won’t remember that you thought your thighs were too big or your arms weren’t positioned right instead what you’ll remember is the happiness of that moment and the memory it left you with; you’ll remember happiness not self- judgment.
All in all, I don’t think anyone has ever taken a “perfect” picture, but we’ve all taken ones embroidered with love and happiness, and those things should be celebrated and cherished. I applaud Tiffany and I think her pictures are so simple yet mean so much. On Austyn’s first day of kindergarten she may come across those pictures, and not remember how she felt about her appearance that day but how small Austyn was then and all the memories surrounding that time. So my message to women who think twice about posting, POST IT! Share that love, that happiness and be proud of the life you’re living and the life you’ve built with the ones you love most. Don’t let anyone anywhere ever tell you otherwise because having an abundance of love in your life will always trump a “beach body”. Be rich in love not materialism.
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) is back representing New York City in the Major League Soccer (MLS) again. Last season in 2015, NYCFC started playing and they won the heart of many New Yorkers including myself. Many football (soccer) fanatics gathered at Yankee Stadium whenever they played to watch and support our beloved team. The first year we did not really care if the team was a title contender team or winning every games, we were just happy that we finally had a football (soccer) team in New York City that we could passionately support weeks and weeks out.
 Even though the team was not winning a lot of games, that did not stop NYCFC fans to pack the stadium and to cheer as much as they can on the team. It was all about the experience of being part of the historic first season, the excitement of going to the games, being part of the great atmosphere in the stands and most importantly the anticipation of meeting new people and forming inseparable bonds to go behind a team that represent New York City.
Now in this new season we get to do it all over again and this time the overall experience is going to be better.  First from the players because they know each other better now as a team since they been bonding with each other for well over a year. Second from the fans who will be able to coordinate better between them and therefore give the team better support and making the atmosphere in the stadium better each games.
But of course we can never forget the first ever season. It was epic, joyful, sometimes nerve racking but exciting and most of all promising. I made sure to remember the first season by taking photographs that highlighted last season’s atmosphere at the stadium created by die hard and passionate NYCFC fans. Last year was when everything  started and this season and this year is when NYCFC is going to win many more hearts and soul of New Yorkers.
As many of you know I’m majoring in Hospitality Management. This major allows us to have a hands-on approach to the hospitality industry by offering a variety of lab classes that include cooking, baking, or serving to the guests that visit the Janet Lefler Dining Room. This semester I am taking The Art of Vegetarian Cuisine and it is truly amazing to learn about the substitute ingredients that are being used to make the evolution of this particular diet possible.
I was actually a vegetarian for fifteen years and found that while it was extremely unique and healthy from a culinary perspective, as I got older I realized that I was lacking nutrients and that would leave me feeling fatigued very easily from simple daily tasks. Yet, it has allowed me to have a vast palate when it comes to different cuisines and I have a huge love for fruits and vegetables as well as what they do for our bodies.
Last week, we had the pleasure of studying plant based proteins for vegetarians/vegans; their diet lacks valuable proteins as well as vitamins that would naturally be found in animal products so these nutrients must be absorbed from other foods. Tofu as well as tempeh and seitan which are high in protein due to the nutrients present in the plants but are transformed into a more meat-like product.
I was able to make seitan last week as well as make tofu from scratch and the process has allowed me to have a better appreciation for vegetarian cuisine. The process was eye-opening to the fact that meatless proteins are created in many different ways and truly utilize the specific ingredient.
Homemade Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
2 quarts soy milk
Coagulant (Choose one of the following):
2 tsp. Terra Alba aka Gypsum (Calcium Sulphate) or
1 tsp. Nigari Flakes (Magnesium Chloride) or
1/2 tsp. Liquid Nigari (Magnesium Chloride)
Instructions:
Boil the soy milk for 5 minutes and then let it cool to 160-175°F (70-80°C) degrees.
If you are making soy milk using a soy milk maker, there is no need to boil the milk again.
Dissolve the coagulant of your choice in a cup of warm water–do not let it set too long!
Mix the water and coagulant mixture into the hot soy milk. Gently stir the milk but do not over mix. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 15-25 minutes.
While the mixture sits, small white curds will separate from amber colored liquid.
Once the process is complete, transfer the curds into a molding container lined with cheesecloth or a similar fabric. Fold the fabric over the curds and place a small weight on top to begin pressing out the liquid. Allow the mixture to be pressed by the weight for 20-30 minutes or until it holds together. Remove the block of tofu from the mold.
If you don’t plan to consume the tofu the same day that you make it, store it in a container filled with cold water in the refrigerator. Change this soaking water daily until you consume your tofu.
The amount of coagulant used will influence the texture of the final product: For instance, more coagulant will produce firmer tofu, while less coagulant will produce softer tofu.
If you plan to consume the tofu within 24 hours of it being made, there is no need to store it in water.
To give the tofu a more fibrous texture, cover the tofu in water in a seal-able container and place in the freezer. Thaw when ready to use.
Comment below the vegetarian meals that you enjoy. Or the ones you wish to try in the future. But I encourage trying vegetarian food at least a few times, it truly is an exciting experience and if done correctly you will be astounded by the results.
Photo taken in Queens
Photo taken at Gantry Park Plaza
Photo taken at Gantry park Plaza
Photo taken at Times Square
Photo taken at Times Square
Photo taken in The Bronx
