So I am still attempting my baking skills and it was successful this past weekend. My mom and I got to baking because I wanted to practice before bringing in a pie for "Bring your baked goods to work" day.
So my choice was a lemon meringue pie which I loooove!!!
So I am a pretty amateur baker and lucky for me I found a youtube video that broke it down step by step - even the crust!!!
So after whipping the egg whites for what felt like forever, the pie was completed and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!
So yesterday I got home from work and made the meringue for the second time since my trial run went very well!! It was a total hit at work! The cake flew and everyone loved it!!!
So besides that, I have been very busy at work hence the not updating so frequently. I am hoping to keep more consistent than recently. Lets hope I can.
I am guilty as charged of being a slacker and not updating this more frequently. I have plenty of stories to tell (at least at the moment) so there are no excuses.
Well, when I last wrote I was counting down the days left until my vacation to Ecuador and well, that countdown has come and gone. It's been exactly a week since I got back and there is not one second I don't wish I was still there. I had the time of my life, it was spectacular. It was so incredible, words cannot even express how incredible...so here are some pictures which are easily worth 1000 words
Mitad del Mundo - Center of the World with my handmade Panama Hat =)
Celebrating my uncles bday...woot woot
Going back to my Incan Roots!
Ingapirca -Cañari Ruins
Cajas National Park
Drinking the milk of the coconut straight from a coconut...YUM!
Chordelg with my Poncho!!!
I definitely have the cutest dog in the whole world. My Tequila is ADORABLE
And did I mention Tequila has a beautiful daughter named Tipper? Gorgeous.
I miss the both so much, I wanted to take them with me
So good times, I had fun in the sun, on the mountains, in the ruins and in the center of the earth. Even though I spent time in four cities I can probably say I saw 15% of what the country has to offer. It's incredible that such a small country has so much to offer. My next 2 goals are the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos. I cannot wait!
But, before I get started on my travel goals, here are some upcoming goals: Get a bike and commute to work on it. I know nothing about bikes so anyone out there have any pointers, I am all ears!!!
7 ingredients in key lime pie (which is my next feat)
89 days till summer (officially) begins!
10 months as a Stevens Alumni...
45 min till tomorrow - That's my cue to go!
BUT, before I do, I need to share the following song. I can't stop listening to it (Thanks Maia) !!!
March 10, 2009
So this has to be a short post since it is waaaay past my bed time (it is currently 11:32pm) and I need to get out of bed at 6am in order to make it to the gym and then to work by 8am. So the last few weeks have been a roller coaster of weather forecasts. This past weekend I think it was up to 60 degrees and the week before that we got 8 inches of snow. All I want to say about that is...REALLY?!
All my coworkers constantly talk about how this is the coldest winter that has hit Connecticut in about 15 years. All I have to say to that is, Thanks CT for the warm welcome. Being a tropical creature myself - I was born right on the Equator - I am so done with this winter. I just want it to be warm and sunny already, who's with me?!
So not only do I not appreciate the cold and snow...take a look at this
My poor car definitely does not enjoy the snow nor do I enjoy digging in out.
It's true, snow is very pretty. But anything above 3 inches is waaaay to much! I am very disappointed with the ground hog this year...I am hoping he was wrong and that this winter is almost over.
I am happy to say I am about 99% done with my first grad class, I only have one lecture left and I have handed in all my assignments including a 10pg paper about the applications of nanotechnology in life support systems in space...wohooo!! I am crossing my fingers for an A. Wish me luck =)
2 months have gone by since I have had enough time to sit in front of a computer and type about the occurrences in my life. Oh, I remember the days when I was traveling non-stop and documenting every adventure. But I am still here, I have not gotten sucked into a black hole, at least not yet!
I don't think I ever got a chance to mention that I was in the middle of signing up to take graduate classes. I think I kept it on the down-lo because I was afraid of jinxing myself and then not getting into the class. Well, from my lack of posting, I think it is obvious that I have been a little busier than I would have liked.
Well let me explain what the last two months have had in store for me. After the winter holiday, I went back to work in 2009 and started taking an online course. I chose to take a class in Nanotechnology since I have been interested in the topic for quite some time now. Little did I know what was in store for me. I guess what I failed to realize was the title of the course, NanoSCIENCE. Now, being an engineer, science is not something I have the strongest background in, especially since I took chemistry my freshman year. Needless to say a lot of old, somewhat familiar concepts were coming back to me. Well, it's been quite a journey to say the least. I have been in this course all alone since it is an online course and no one I know is taking the class. I have had two HW assignments which I have spent about 15 hours on each >.< My final assignment is to write a 10 page paper. I am on my way to getting it done and have moved very slowly. The title of my paper is as follows :
Nano-Life Support Systems in Space: A review of Nano-Technology Advances in the Space Industry and its Impact and Benefits for Future Space Exploration
I am about 1/3 of the way done with a little less 2 weeks to complete it. I am optimistic but I must say the last few weeks I have had almost no life - work, class, sleep repeat. I have managed to squeeze in snowboarding (my new favorite, yet very expensive hobby) and post work networking dinners.
So in the writing of this paper I have stumbled upon some great research that is going on in the space industry including my favorite, the space elevator. It pretty exciting to be working in the space industry, especially at the beginning stages of the design of the next manned space vehicle. I wanted to share a video that I like when I saw it. You have to watch it to understand...its pretty cool
Well since I have no pictures to share at the moment, I will share a picture I recently recieved from my friend Eric who was my travel buddy throughout my European adventure. For some reason, he found that it was necessary to send me an edited version rather than the original but here goes...
This picture was taken in Leeds, England when we went into a clothing store and started trying on some outrageous pieces. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do a good job in showing it, but I was modeling a loud blue jacket that was just out of control. Under the right circumstances I probably would have purchaed the thing but I think at the time time it was over my budget.
Well, that is all for now.
I am back in NJ for the weekend and have volunteered to help my fencing coach for the Stevens Invitational tomorrow. It should be fun to get to be around fencing again.
Following are two videos for songs that I really enjoy. The first one I chose because of the recent outcome of the grammys. Coldplay won a few for their song Viva la Vida but for me, their song Violet Hill is th best of the album. And the second video is just my favorite Coldplay song...I guess it fits the mood since it's called the Scientist and well, I could use a scientist to help me through this class
...and yes, it was a long and cold december this past year...it's been a long and cold few months in New England!
Hello Hello again! This weekend was AWESOME! That pretty much how I can describe it.
One amazing thing about being an alumni is not really having to worry about HW on the weekends (unless of course you are taking grad classes). But its been nice having the weekends completely off to relax but sometimes I feel like I am not taking advantage of what is out there in the world. Well, this weekend, I grabbed that opportunity! With a few co-workers and Don, I went up to Mt. Okemo in Vermont to go snowboarding. The best part about the trip was that the rentals and lift ticket were free. I believe I mentioned that in my previous blog.
So Mt Okemo has some sort of promotional offer where you can sign up to get a free lesson with rentals and lift ticket until the 19th of December. This is pretty much equivalent to $100 of free stuff since rentals are usually $40 and lift tickets can be anywhere from $50-$75+. My whole trip can be summed up in a few simple words.
FUN - Snowboarding for the first time, WOHOO!!! PAINFUL - Falling, A LOT, and on icy snow...OUCH! EXCITING - Going really really FAST!! FRUSTRATING - Tough to learn and get the hang of ADVENTUROUS - Decided to go up a trail that was probably too tough for a beginner...LOL
Here are some pictures =)
Start of the day before the lesson...no bruises yet! Don't worry mom, I was so bundled up I was sweating in 17 degree weather.
Getting tired!!
My tiny feet in the boots
Ballin'
So needless to say, that was a lot of fun =) I would love to go again but anything involving riding the snow is what I like to call, an expensive hobby.
Another adventure I took on this weekend were the MONSTER COOKIES I mentioned in the previous post. I was pretty nervous about making them since I had never baked anything from scratch before. Well I would have posted some pictures of the cookies but they are all gone! Between Don, my coworkers and me they are all gone. I got pretty good reviews too so hopefully they will come out good when I have to make them for the real Fat December event. Wish me luck!
That is all I have for this weeks adventure. Next week is going to be SWEET. I have vacation starting December 19th until January 5th. WOHOO!!!
Don't worry, I have not changed my name. I have however changed my laptop. Lenny is my brand new laptop that replaces Lappy. For those of you who don't know, Lappy is my Stevens provided laptop that has been with me thru thick and thin. Now, to be clear, absolutely nothing is wrong with Lappy. Despite her old age, (5.5 years) she is running just fine. After careful consideration, I have decided to hand down my laptop to my mom - who needs an extra computer in the house - and get myself a new laptop since it's been so long. So now I have Lenny, whose clever name (thanks to Don) is an abbreviation of Lenovo. Here's a pic: Besides the excitement of having a new toy, I am pretty excited for what at work is called Fat December. Apparently its a tradition at work for people to sign up to make treats throughout the month of December. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to exercise my baking skills (or lack thereof...) and be creative. This weekend while watching the food network with Don, I saw the most interesting cookie recipe. When I heard about Fat December a little light bulb went off and I convinced myself to sign up to bring in home made "MONSTER" cookies. The best way I can describe these cookies is, chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, sugar cookies. For anyone interested:
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
Thank you Paula Deen for this wonderful recipe. I will keep everyone posted on how they turn out. I bought enough ingredients to make a practice batch before I bring them into my co-workers.
Now, changing topics, I have signed up to go snowboarding/skiing this weekend. I found out about this sweet deal at Mount Okemo. They have free lessons from December 12th - 21st (I am not sure about the dates) and the rentals are free too! I figured what a better way to celebrate my first New England winter than skiing in Vermont! I am pretty excited, I hope all goes well and I don't get too bruised up. Wish me luck!
So I have decided that I will not turn the heat on inside my apartment until it's utterly necessary. SO far I have lucked out with the weather and the awesome extra insulation in the walls of the house. I have made it thru more than half of November heat less and right now it is 59 degrees inside here. Not going to lie, but it's a bit cold but with gas prices these days! Although I must admit, the price of gas has gone down significantly - it's about $1.99 around here. I don't remember when the last time I saw it under $2 was!!!
Well a few weeks have gone by without me updating. As always there are plenty of reasons but the main ones have to do with interrupted internet service and being home in NJ on the weekends. A lot has happened since I last posted and I meant to write an entry the day after election day to talk about history in the making.
History was made on November 4th 2008 for many reasons. The first reason the date was so important for me was that it was my birthday - HAPPY 23 TO ME!!! Second, it was my first time voting since I have become a citizen this past February and last but most importantly, the first black president.
To prove that I did partake in this years election, here is my picture worth more than 1000 words!
So the past couple of weekends I have gone home - back to NJ that is. I have had a chance to hang out with Cornbread the dog and boy is she adorable. Here are some entertaining photos...
This is to get an idea of her height. I am about 5' tall, I am sure you can interpolate from that =)
How CUUUUUUTE is she?!?!?!? Have I mentioned that I <3 little dogs =P
FYI - The bright spot on me is the sunlight
I think I mentioned in my last post, she doesn't like to be held very much. Photos courtesy of Don Massoni
On another note, some of my co-workers saw my blog and one of them was quite surprised to know that I had not mentioned anyone specifically from work in my blog. So I am going to take the time out to give a shout out to Mark (you know who you are!) for being an awesome supervisor. I am very happy at work and consider myself very lucky for being able to work on the stuff I am working on and with the people I am working with. I guess many thanks to Stevens for the education, to Stevens Career Development office for being awesome, and to my hard work all five years at Stevens and beyond!
Final thought...I am throwing around the idea of graduate school. I need to get my brain exercising in class again because you know what they say, if you don't use it, you lose it!
Greetings from BRRRRRRRRRRR cold Connecticut!!! It's starting to feel a lot like chri...I mean winter! It's very tough to get out of bed when it's nice and toasty under the covers and cold everywhere else. I am trying not to go too nuts with heat because I don't want to rack up a $300 bill. I have never had to pay for utilities so I am trying to be conservative.
Well I have some fun and interesting updates. This past week I got a cool opportunity at work that I will show with pictures.
This is me with a piece of history
...and this is me in it!! haha
Like I said, Hamilton Sundstrand is famous for making the spacesuit =)
This weekend I went back to NJ to hang out with the fam =) It was nice to relax and have a nice home cooked dinner, mmm mmm good. I tried making pasta sauce the other night, and I am embarrassed to say that it came out terrible!! I tried it again yesterday and it came out delicious =) So anyway, the point of the story is as follows. So before I left NJ I went to hang out with Don. He introduced me to...well, see for yourself...
Isn't she just soooo cute!!! Meet Cornbread. She was so polite and adorable. Didn't like to be held though, that's why she looks so awkward in that picture.
Well, that is all for now. Halloween is this weekend and I need to buy candy to hand out to kids because I am sure there will be trick-or-treaters around.
Well, this past week/weekend I finally became a full Connecticut resident. What does that mean? Well, I headed over to the DMV Thursday after work to get my drivers license. Like any other day at the DMV, it was quite painful. I stood in line for about an hour before anything happened. Then, when I finally paid the application fee, I was asked to wait. I was called to get my eyes checked and then asked to wait some more. Then I got called over to pay the actual price for the card. Then I got to wait some more. Had my picture taken, and waited for the last time until they called my name and handed me my brand new CT drivers license. No wonder I have such a huge smile in that picture - I knew I was almost outta there!!
As if the time spent that Thursday was not enough, I went back on Saturday morning to get my plates and registration. I got to the DMV at around 8:30am and left at around 10:30am so overall, I would say not a terrible experience. I mean if it was any other Saturday, I would have been getting up at 10:30am anyways! So now, I have my license, plates and registration. The great thing is that it all matches the color of my car. The bad thing, now I have to pay taxes to the state of CT for my car. BOO!
So there is lots going on...the election is 16 days away...which means 16 days to my birthday! I have been keeping myself so busy paying attention to the presidential race that I haven't even had time to remember the most important day of the year! My birthday falls on a Monday this year, what more could I ask for?!
Well, I have recently started to become more and more upset about the fact that I haven't been out of the country in a year and a half. I am trying to figure out some sort of itinerary for "spring break." Since I work I obviously don't have a spring break, but I plan on taking a week in March off to feel like I am still in school. I am stuck between where I want to go. Part of me wants to go back to Europe to see the places I didn't and part of me wants to go somewhere else all together, mainly South America. The thing is that travel within in South America is not as cheap and easy as in Europe. If I had it my way (meaning if I had endless amounts of time and money) I would go to Quito, Ecuador and do the tourist thing there for a few days. Even though I was born and lived in Ecuador for about six years of my life, I have never been to the capital. So after Quito, I would take a flight to the Galapagos Islands and enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer. I would spend about 4 or 5 days there and then fly out to Peru where I would go to the Machu Picchu. I would love to see history from my ancestors =) The last destination - Bueno Aires. I want to see what Europe in South America looks like. Unfortunately all those flights and hotel stays amount to more than what my budget looks like. We'll see what happens. If anyone has any suggestions, I am all for it!!!
Now, I will leave you with a video that makes me want to forget about everything and move to a tropical country and live off mother nature. I don't know why this song makes me feel like that, maybe just the soothing music and chilled out video. Enjoy!!
