Expanding the roots of thought...

enriching the world with every blossom.

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

I'm beautiful.

I'm beautiful; not just because I was born this way, but because I strived to make myself this way--in every aspect that I am today. 
The first name I was called by other children when I was younger was "Chunky." It grew to be "Clumpsy" which was a combination of the first and clumsy. The list is extensive, so I will only include these first two. They used to shove me, hit me, throw stuff at me, take things from me, break what little I had of school supplies, belongings, and confidence.
I learned to stay close to those of maturity--mainly teachers. I learned to converse and understand much more advanced conversations because it was the only way to defend myself when the staff enforced every student to go outside for recess--even when some of us, the troden, begged and pleaded to be sheilded inside from the brutality that was brought by popularity and status; that addiction bullies build when they see themselves as being better than their prey the more they climb the pile of nobodies they create by stepping on them. 
The bullies weren't just at school, either. There are situations in this world that are unavoidable--especially when your family becomes homeless and has to strive to be in whatever living accomodies they can find. A woman--my mother's cousin--who, to this day claims that she never did me wrong, used to call me worthless, disgusting, unwanted, dejected, and did so many things to reinforce it--such as pawn my belongings and sentimental possessions for gambling money while leaving me to watch over my little sister and her mother with a deteriorating mind while she went to gamble, blame and punish me for things she did wrong to others or around the home, explain to me how my family hated me before convincing them that I hated them, and always blamed me of stealing from her whenever she misplaced things. She even blamed me for my mother's death--even after she time and time again embodied the peer pressure that kept her smoking whenever she tried to quit.
I lost my mother when I was sixteen--just when I was starting to bloom into my femininities. I strove to find the beauty in myself my entire life--through friends, horrific relationships, knowledge, and studies. Little did I know that one of the people I grew to care about, when I was only eleven years old, would be the person to look at me in my worst hour, take my hand, and revive me with a love he had been holding onto--that is still forever growing--for me for twelve years.
He has continued to love me even though I didn't.
No matter how many times I have shattered, and how little those pieces have broken into, he has picked up every one and held me back together.
Even though my confidence had been long gone--a crucial piece of me amputated and replaced with a fake, artificial limb--he somehow made it regenerate from his own and mold it to me; he made me anew.
He led me by example--by improving himself.
Jacob Cody LeJuine chose me at my worst and stayed by my side even though at a time he had accepted that we'd probably never be together romantically. When I finally revived enough from the gray life I thought was supposed to be what I deserved through all of my burdens, I did not just choose him--but I chose be a better me.
Jacob Cody LeJuine chose me at my worst--now he's the most important reason why I strive to always be at my best.
I have overcome pain, suffering, and agony, and found the balance to my beauty: and it is my immeasurable love for him.
I'm beautiful; not just because I was born this way, but because I strived to make myself this way--in every aspect that I am today. So are you.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Surprise Return

Yes, I have returned. I bring news of my graduation with high honors. Life has been extraordinary and busy; I have moved out on my own, worked furiously on a job hunt for better employment, diligently constructed the best resume I've made so far... and once again I have come out successful.

Today is the last day I work as a computer lab assistant technician and I receive my uniform to be a security guard. No, it's not the career I dream to be a part of; however, it is a means in which I will earn enough money to help my love, Jacob, and I to support ourselves in the house we live in with two other roommates while we continue school one or two classes per major semester in Graphic Design. I plan to save money for a new vehicle.

I hope that in the future I may be able to go back to the constant communication I shared with so many people. I know I have gone a long time without responding to wonderful emails or participated in online communities. (I still have yet to feel any urge to join an online community after my last experience logging on to one. I was not pleased with the private messages I was sent in my absence.) Perhaps I may come to be able to afford my own online domain in which I could create and post my portfolio.

Either way, I post this message for those who watch this blog for new posts, to inform you of my intentions to return and to share my creations--whether by word or by image.

A small tad of a catch-up:
  • It seems like all of my friends are getting married. Terra will have her wedding on the 11th of this October--I am her maid of honor. Dana is going to be married sometime--early spring I believe--next year and I shall be attending as one of her bride's maids. Cassey's wedding will take place sometime next fall and my cousin is having his wedding soon as well. It makes me wonder when I might be given a ring from Jake. I try my best not to think about it since he wishes to surprise me. :)
  • I've been contemplating which car I will choose to go for. So far my most favored would be the Toyota Prius 3rd Generation. Although, I have yet to test drive it.
  • I've begun keeping a couple of journals. One is used when I find it hard to sleep. The other is a daily exercise I am using to get the words and troubles in my mind out onto paper so that I can organize the massive story I have been constructing. I figure that if I write down the scenes in whatever order they surface, I could then edit and organize the pieces until the series of books that have been my major goal for so long.
  • I have begun to help Dana with her comic idea. It's quite the experience, I will admit, to work towards making my characters purely side characters in her story. The restrictions and thus changes to my characters are a good way for me to see different options for my own.
  • In helping Dana, my urge to write the joined story role play with Oni in our red book has been reignited. We also have pulled out the challenge that came with the black book from long ago. Perhaps this will also assist me in getting my story on paper or even the computer screen? The sooner the better, I feel.
  • I know I have stated starting a diet before. I will only mention that the healthier the foods are, the more expensive they seem to be. It is a sad world. Although, I do plan on picking it up again. One never accomplishes a true success without at least one failure. I hope once I start this new job I may be able to start doing the Petite Advantage Diet again--coupled with the use of an app I have been waiting for: Zombies, Run!  To sum it up really quickly, it is an app that keeps track of where you walk/run while playing a play list for you. In between your music tracks, you get to hear recordings for a story. In using these recordings, the app helps you move in an interval of speeds. (Prompted by zombie moans and the idea that they are behind you. :P ) As you walk/run you receive messages about what items you are collecting during your "mission." Once you finish the mission (your walk/jog) you then distribute the supplies you found to the sections of the base you are working with. This levels up the base and their ability to survive and thus raises the number of the population there. It's very fun and I plan to make it help me become fit.
  • On another diet/exercise note: Jake has mentioned interest in joining the National Guard. I'm still a bit wary, however, it IS his choice--and I love him enough to support him whether or not he chooses to make that commitment. He does have to get back in shape before he signs up, but I see that as an opportunity for me to help him and become fit myself. I decided to use the NG's own maximum weight requirement to be my first weight loss goal: 130 lbs. You'll be able to keep track of my progress via the MyFitnessPal weight tracker at the top of my blog.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Why? -- Health


“You have found a guy who can see past your extra pounds; you no longer care about what size you are. Why is it that you still want to lose weight and go on a diet?”
    To be honest, it’s no longer the look that bothers me, but the extra weight. Why? My body is small. I’ve always been a short petite. What I have noticed about the extra weight is that it has made it harder for me to operate in my daily activities (which currently are very few). It has made it difficult for me to stay on my feet longer than three hours straight—and even that is an improvement from when I first started this diet and exercise plan.

    I’m not too focused on the weight number, but on the amount of fat I have on my body. I’m sure the weight wouldn’t be so hard on me if it was made out of muscle to begin with. So my goal is to lose the fat, gain strength, and to be healthy and balanced. The mind can only be so strong with a body that is weak. I believe that in order to gain a greater amount of knowledge, the body must be fit as a whole.

    I am a very determined and strong-willed person most all the time. Once I set my mind to something, you should best believe that it will happen. Why haven’t I done this in the past? I didn’t have the right reason to try. Growing up, I have been plagued with cruel children who poke fun and humiliate others who aren’t up to par with the popular fad, one of which has been a slim physique and new clothes for as long as I can remember.

    For the most part, I moved through my life believing that I would just have to accept that I would be overweight my entire life. I know that there are plenty of people out there that say, “Size doesn’t matter.” They are correct, except when it comes to health. My mother may have passed away due to lung cancer, but it wasn’t the only thing that brought her health to its knees.

    My mother was overweight, sleep deprived, and diabetic. She could barely stay on her feet longer than twenty to forty minutes at a time. Her sleep apnea made it difficult for her to get rest and may have been triggered by her inability to breathe easily—smoking and weight were two major reasons, I’m sure. Diabetes is something that has popped up a lot in my family. I know little about it, but I do know that what you eat when you’re at your prime can greatly effect whether or not you get diabetes—or at least that a healthy intake in your better years can postpone diabetes.

    I am currently twenty three years old. I am drug and alcohol free and because of a couple instances with my father’s health since my mother’s passing, I eat very healthy. Now that I have figured out a reason—inspiration—I have been working to increase the amount of physical activity I do each week. Right now, it has been difficult due to lack of funds, space, and knowledge. (I at least know not to try doing exercises without knowing exactly how to do them—that you can easily hurt yourself by doing it incorrectly or too much.)

    I hope to increase my immunity to sickness and allergies. I hope to increase my endurance, cardio, and my lungs. I hope that as my body strengthens, my mind will focus and strengthen more as well. I want to complete this goal because I know it will help me with all of my other goals and it will give me a happier life of comfort and health.

    I chose to type about my feelings because I want others to see a side other than visual appearance and vanity. I want them to see that health is, and should be, the true goal and that through increasing our bodies’ abilities, we increase our minds’ as well.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Spring 2011

Classes :    CIT 160 - Security, CIT 171 - Intro to UNIX/Linux, IS 115 - Intro to Programming, CIT 112B - Networking +


The assignments below were given to me via the course schedules and I have crossed out what I have completed. This is to help me understand how much work I have done and how much I have left to do.

Read Chapter 1 - Due 01/29/2011
Read Chapter 2 - Due 01/29/2011
Read Chapter 1 - Due 01/30/2011
Read Chapter 1 (No Late Penalty) - Due 01/31/2011
Chapter 1 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 01/31/2011
Lab A (Page 15) - Due 02/01/2011
Read Chapter 1 - Due 02/03/2011
Article 1 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 02/03/2011 
Read Chapter 7 - Due 02/05/2011
Read Chapter 2 - Due 02/06/2011
Assignment 1 (Chapter 1) - Due 02/07/2011 
Read Chapter 2 (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/07/2011
Chapter 2 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/07/2011 
Lab B (Page 148) - Due 02/08/2011
Article 2 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 02/10/2011
Read Chapter 8 - Due 02/12/2011
Read Chapter 13 - Due 02/12/2011
Read Chapter 3 - Due 02/14/2011
Assignment 2 (Chapter 2) - Due 02/14/2011
Read Chapter 3 (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/14/2011
Chapter 3 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/14/2011 
Lab C (Page 190) - Due 02/15/2011
Read Chapter 2 - Due 02/17/2011
Security Survey - Due 02/17/2011
Article 3 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 02/17/2011 
Read Chapter 9 - Due 02/19/2011
Exam 1 (Chapters 1,2) (Open from 02/21/2011 - 02/27/2011)
Read Chapter 4 (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/21/2011
Chapter 4 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/21/2011 
Lab D (Page 237) - Due 02/22/2011
Article 4 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 02/24/2011
Read Chapter 10 - Due 02/26/2011
Read Chapter 16 - Due 02/26/2011
Read Chapter 4 - Due 02/28/2011
Assignment 3 (Chapter 3) - Due 02/28/2011
Exam 2 (Chapter 3) (Open from 02/28/2011 - 03/06/2011) 
Read Chapter 5 (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/28/2011
Chapter 5 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 02/28/2011 
Lab E (Page 246) - Due 03/01/2011
Exam 1 (Open from 03/02/2011 - 03/19/2011)
Read Chapter 3 - Due 03/03/2011
Case Project 2-3: Cell Phone Attacks - Due 03/03/2011
Article 5 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 03/03/2011 
(Optional) Exam 1 Retake (Must be done before 03/18/2011)
Read Chapter 3 - Due 03/05/2011
Read Chapter 5 - Due 03/07/2011
Assignment 4 (Chapter 4) - Due 03/07/2011 
Read Chapter 6 (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/07/2011
Chapter 6 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/07/2011 
Lab F (Page 47) - Due 03/08/2011
Article 6 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 03/10/2011
Read Chapter 4 - Due 03/12/2011
Read Chapter 5 - Due 03/12/2011
Read Chapter 14 - Due 03/12/2011
Assignment 5 (Chapter 5) - Due 03/14/2011
Final Exam (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) (Open from 03/14/2011 - 03/18/2011) 
Read Chapter 7 (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/14/2011
Chapter 7 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/14/2011 
Lab G (Page 90) - Due 03/15/2011
Lab H (Page 382) - Due 03/22/2011
Read Chapter 8 (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/28/2011
Chapter 8 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 03/28/2011 
Case Project 3-1: Your E-mail Security - Due 03/31/2011
Mid-Term (Chapters 1, 2, 3) (In Class) - 03/31/2011
Research Paper Topic (In Class) - 03/31/2011 
Read Chapter 6 - Due 04/02/2011
Read Chapter 12 - Due 04/02/2011
Read Chapter 9 (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/04/2011
Chapter 9 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/04/2011 
Lab I (Page 115) - Due 04/05/2011
Read Chapter 4 - Due 04/07/2011
Article 7 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 04/07/2011 
Exam 2 (In Class) - 04/09/2011
Read Chapter 10 (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/11/2011
Chapter 10 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/11/2011
Article 8 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 04/14/2011
Read Chapter 15 - Due 04/16/2011
Read Chapter 18 - Due 04/16/2011
Read Chapter 11 (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/18/2011
Chapter 11 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/18/2011 
Lab J (Page 407) - Due 04/19/2011
Article 9 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 04/21/2011
Read Chapter 5 - Due 04/21/2011
Case Project 4-1: Phishing Test - Due 04/21/2011
Case Project 4-2: Anti-Phishing Phil Demonstration - Due 04/21/2011 
Exam 3 (In Class) - 04/23/2011
Read Chapter 12 (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/25/2011
Chapter 12 Quiz (No Late Penalty) - Due 04/25/2011 
Lab X (Subnet) - Due 04/26/2011
Read Chapter 6 - Due 04/28/2011
Research Paper (Topic: Layers: Defense in Depth) (5 Pages) - Due 04/28/2011
Article 10 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 04/28/2011 
Read Chapter 11 - Due 04/30/2011
Read Chapter 17 - Due 04/30/2011
Read Chapter 13 (No Late Penalty) - Due 05/02/2011
Lab K (Page 466) - Due 05/03/2011
Case Project 5-3: WEP Weaknesses - Due 05/05/2011
Article 11 Synopsis (In Class) - Due 05/05/2011
Read Appendix A - Due 05/07/2011
Final Exam (Open from 05/09/2011 - 05/15/2011) 
Case Project 6-4: Personal Disaster Recovery Plan - Due 05/12/2011
Research Paper Presentation (In Class) - 05/12/2011 
Final Exam - 05/14/2011 
Last Day to Complete all Quizzes - Due 05/15/2011
Final Exam (Chapters 4, 5, 6) - 05/19/2011

Friday, November 12, 2010

Relief

Loneliness is out the door
and insecurity is no more.

Ever since you came around
I no longer feel drowned

in my stress and agony
because you see the best in me.

I feel like I can love myself
because you want no one else.

Your nature is completely new to me—
compliments, support, and sensitivity.

You want to give me everything
but you’re love is all I’ll ever need.

Friends [revised]

Friends are people you have faith in—
ones who help when you’re in need.

Friends are giggles in a smile—
enlightenment in a dance.

Friends are as bright as the moon—
as playful as the stars.

Friends are your allies against life’s trials—
safe arms that hold you close.

Friends are unrelated kin—
missing holes in your soul.

Friends lend you their common sense—
inspiration from advice.

Friends are the best gift
because they don't have a price...

'Cause

Look me in the eye
prove to me you really care;
that everything wasn’t a lie;
that everything was really there.

‘Cause my heart is aching;
it’s breaking, twisting;
it’s screaming.
I just can’t take this beating.

Too long have I been strewn aside.
My feelings of pain can no longer hide.
You’ve left an empty space at my side.
Abandonment rips me apart from the inside.

‘Cause my body is aching;
I’m shaking, crying;
I’m screaming.
In this loneliness I’m dying.

But before all faded out—
before I drowned in my doubt,
someone pulled me out;
showed me what love is about.

‘Cause he felt me aching;
he watched you hurt me—
watched you desert me.
And he stole my love from you.